#oh you evil little gay boy

[wackulart]

the first drawing is me figuring out how to draw beast belos for the first time and the second is because I rewatched elsewhere elsewhen for the 21343285784965875894th time

[shapelytimber]

Wanted to paint some of my favorite characters, nothing more nothing less

[COMMISSIONS]

Way too much yapping like an embarrassing amount, the individual portraits and the template I used below vvv

I shouldn't be allowed to talk about my favorite characters- especially to people who (presumably) don't know them xjfkdk apart from the very popular ones ofc

ILLYA KURYAKIN (The man from U.N.C.L.E)

gay ass little Russian spy I love him he is so *dramatic* and a huge nerd and a Beatles fan and into fashion design- perfect pocket size blorbo ;w; also seeing a Russian character being given a positive leading role in an American tvshow from the 60s ?? Yes he lives in New York and works for UNCLE America.... But he is still a communist ?? Incredible ! Also I really like the fact he isn't given the cliché personality traits often given to Russian characters i e anger issues drinks a lot violent ect (looking at you shitty(imo) modern remake... What did you do to my little guy ;;). In a close contest with Spock for the "gayest man from tvshow" of the 60s..... And in my heart he is winning djdkd for me the gay subtext of muncle hits so much more because it's not a scifi show- it's closer to home, Napoleon and Illya were *like that* in the present day of the 60s, they were both human, and no alien fuckery made them go to the village more than once or play house in the suburbs or get attached ass up to get pegged on a regular basis... Truly a show that feels written by an old queen and a guy with the biggest fem dom fetish jkvjjkb (don't get me wrong tho I adore star trek tos and spirk too <3)

KUROO HAZAMA and PINOKO (Black Jack)

sometimes I rewatch some of the oavs from the 90s when I'm sad :) I had a huge phase a couple years back when I read nearly all the manga (should really finish it... Or reread the whole thing frankly), watched *all* the shows (bar young black jack, hated that shit) and idk I just love this venal bitch so much- him and his daughter and his conflicted feelings for his tboy ex that he still loves kfkfkf btw I'm dying for a modern take on this like please please please I'd love to see Kei Kisaragi's story rewritten a bit (trans character in the 70s sure was progressive but oh boy-), because him and black jack's relationship makes me so *weak*.... And maybe see him a bit more than in one story- anyway ! When it comes to his daughter Pinoko, it's very hit or miss- when the writers lean on the cute father adoptive daughter relationship it's great, when they lean more on the whole "she has a crush on him" (very much like a child in most case, and he *never* reciprocate thank god) and bring up the fact she is technically 18 a lot (she was an evil tumor trapped in her sister before he created a body for her- black jack shit dw), and she gets jealous of other women.... Well it's terrible and I'm uncomfy :(

EVA KANT (Diabolik)

Look.... You just can't show me danger diabolik 1968 and not expect me to become insane djdkdkdk she is so cool ;; !!! Her and her devious eel of a man (here as a panther, because even tho I haven't read the comic yet, I'm taking an educated guess that all the panther imagery is here to represent him, the lethal twunk always in the all black gimp suit... And if it's not then fuck my entire life ig fjfkkd), the cuntiest het couple you've ever seen, such freaks I love them ! Partners in crime that will blow up the tax offices of the whole country if you try to put a bounty on them <3 they are in the guilty faves category only because I'm this invested in these characters after 1 (one) movie fkfkf watched the first two remakes and was hmmm let's say underwhelmed, could have been worse but going after the 60s one ie peak cinema was hard... I went in fully invested in these heterosexuals and they still fucked up their romance and relationship ;; (don't spoil me the third one btw haven't seen it yet ! I know it's the yaoi one- which doesn't give me much hope for Eva tbh...) I'll soon start reading the comics tho ! Managed to find all twelve volumes of "Il grande Diabolik" in french for pretty cheap so I'm excited for that :D (might scan them and upload them online because omg I tried finding scans in *any* language and only found a dubious website that sold digital copies for 7€ a volume ??? What is this)

UTA (The Void / Тургор / Turgor / Tension)

Apathy girlyyyyy she just like me for real for real nfkfk what absolutely charmed me about her is yes her design, but more importantly her chamber's design (if you've never played the void, a sister's chamber is a space that represent her. You get a sense of who she is by exploring her chamber before finding her and talking to her soul it's great). The lonely island out at sea, her laying down on a suspended steel boat in a grotto, looking passively at the moon by a crack on the ceiling.... And the moon is looking back. Incredible ! I love this game so much

KIM KITSURAGI (Disco Elysium)

Do I really have to explain this one ? When I played the game with quiji I remember I kept saying "when Kim talks, we *listen*" djkdk we did get a good grade in Kim Kitsuragi and got him to dance in the church <3 this fucking centrist cop wormed it's way into my heart and many others because of course he did. The only Kim K in my eyes. Also funny anecdote : before I played Disco Elysium, I had one concept art masterclass where a kinda famous concept artist came to give advice, make us really stressed then give us a shitty grade.... And when I tell you this man looked so much like Kim ??? Same haircut, glasses, face with a scar *exactly* where Kim's portrait has a stark shadow on his cheek and he was dressed in an orange top- truly uncanny. Anyway, Kim is so fucking cool how does he do it

DARK VADOR (La guerre des étoiles)

*sight* not surprising if you know me... and to be clear when I say Vader I don't mean Anakin Skywalker, post barbecue only zouz here. I refuse to yap about this man djdkdk I already do that way to much in ao3 comment sections

And here is the template I used ! Don't know who made it tho sorry...

PS : all these where made in 2-3 hours each :D wanted to challenge myself by painting quickly, and I mostly (looking at the Eva Kant one that gave me trouble) succeeded !

[kyri45]

✨ShadowPeach Bio Parents Bio AU Q&A! 08/10✨

Welcome to the Q&A! A space where I can answer related or similar question about the Shadowpeach Bio Parents AU! If you submitted your ask anonimously, then you’ll have to check the whole post if it’s answered here, if it’s not, worry not! Your asks might have been used for a future comic or just in the queue~

Anonimo ha chiesto: I feel like in cannon baby MK was the kind of kid to eat glue, mainly because he hatched from a rock and doesn't know what anything is.

isn’t it like how all babies are? I think I also used to eat glue

@purpleprinceblood ha chiesto: In the spicynoodles bit where you explain how Red Son was charmed by Mk's beautiful personality and kind nature (/silly), you said Mk is Demi sexual Do you have other sexuality headcanons for the cast, or is it just "they're gay for each other"?

Pan for Mei, Bi for Redson, both Wukong and Macaque are in a way pan, in the sense that they don’t really care about gender, but are only gay for each other.

@kehideni ha chiesto: Whatever happened with never drawing a background ever again? :D On a more serious note: may we know the exact relation of DBK and Chiyou(did i spell that right?)? I'm just the nosy type :3

Chiyou has 72 brothers, one of them is an ancestor of DBK

@marcusalexander ha chiesto: I have a question is spider queen in your comic, and if so, is she like a part of the team or enemy or anuite? I'm just curious since she isn't that evil. By the way, I love your comic shadowpeach parents

The AU is set after S5, so I guess she’s enemy

Anonimo ha chiesto: Macaque HAS to be doing a little happy dance in the bio parents AU that murder isn’t considered distinct from self-defense Imagine being like… a legitimate threat to the world around you, and getting put down to defend it, and then being hailed as “the less bad one” because you were killed But this also means that MK probably views himself as a murdered for killing the LBD/Azure Lion too cause again “killing in self defense/defense of others= murder

most likely MK feels super duper guilty for what he did, and will continue to be until he get some extra comfort.

@goldenthecat ha chiesto: I'm wondering, since you watch lmk do you watch other Lego shows too? Like Ninjago or friends

does having saw the ninjago movie and a 4 hours video essay recap about the first 14 season count?

@haruwashere29 ha chiesto: Did wukong put his head over macaque’s chest to hear his heartbeat? 😭😭😭

OH OK NOW WE ARE ON WITH THE ANGST. YES 100%

Anonimo ha chiesto: You said Wukong is warm , change my mind that macaque has absolutely put his cold feet straight on wukongs back while he was sleeping not just cause he was cold but because he thought it was funny

hehe he has cold feet poor boy.

@og-glitch-punk ha chiesto: I'm haunting you at thisnpoint im so sorry but your lmk comic gives ideas and thoughts bro lmao /gen SO HERES ANITHER THOUGHT... If you technically think about it, MK is basically an clone (not but words are EHHH) of Sun wukong because they came from the sane rock. But what about our spooky Macaque? We have no knowledge of how he came to be but we all may assume it's the same way with MK and Wukong. but.. BUT. If Macaque had his own stone somewhere in the shadows then what if there's an basically MK but Macaque verison? Even if not, that would be wild to think about lol

like a slightly more emo version of MK? Something like the OK KO situation?

Anonimo ha chiesto: Hello I just wanted to say I'M IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMIC it's sooooo good I'm obsessed and the recent part... I have no word only emotion Even though I use Tumblr for a while I still getting use to it so.. do you know any other Shadowpeach comics? I couldn't find any 😅

mmmm @kristea9ay is doing a shadowpeach parent story that’s really cute!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I NEED to see wukong and macaque having a cute moment and accidentally touch each others tails yk? 🥺🥺🥺 (and mk quitting is a stab to the chest, i dont think there is anything worse in store... Right?... RIGHT?!)

at this point they ain’t touching the tails “accidentally” anymore these bitches are too gay I can’t anymore-

@amyrosewithoutshadow ha chiesto: I think the next one that will need Sandy is Wukong, lol I always thought about one thing, how Wukong deal with traumas and crises? We only saw him dealing with it during his sleep, but what about a daylight crises? Love your art 💞

he has a “I can do it with a broken heart”-by-taylor-Swift-masking situation.

@alizardonfire ha chiesto: I understand why MK doesn't want to be their successor mostly because I think he needs time to think about all of it. There's a lot to unpack! I love how wukongs more shocked about it. And I think macaque kinda saw it coming?

i think Mac forseen that MK would have changed his view on Wukong for sure. But he didn’t know in which way.

@siennabanana ha chiesto: HDBDJDBDHSHDV NEW HEADCANON UNLOCKED: sometimes he misses his human form but he doesn’t tell wukong and macaque bc he feels like that would be an insult to them and plus he still thinks his monkey form is cool but eughhh dysphoriaa

awwww he might be sometimes! Good thing they are starting to hang out outside FFM as well!

@blazerratbluefire-blog ha chiesto: If Wukong ever manages to be able to control his kaiju form, I could easily see Macaque's kaiju form using him as a bed, and along comes MK wanting in on the action. Then, he proceeds to lay on top of Macaque, squishing him with his kaiju and making a wholesome monkey family bonding session. With Wukonh laughing that Macaque is being squished. Just a funny thought I had.

oh my I think he would be waaayyy to big for the other two ahah

Anonimo ha chiesto: For your LMK shadowpeach AU will Ironfan be making up for all of MK's birthdays she missed? (Dropping off a mountain of presents at FFM?) (My partner joked she would give Redson in a box, not in a bow or anything just in an open box like a cat.)

she would probably make a courtnapping room for her son to gift him, and Red Son would die from embarrassment right there.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Dose macaque sometimes cook for MK and wukong since wukong tends to eat his fur/hair and macaque fonts approve of it

I think yes, he would cook probably really basics but nutrient-full meals, the few times they don’t eat noodle from pigsy shop

Anonimo ha chiesto: TCan we get Red Son and MK Angst because Red Son technology tried to kill MK a lot of times?

just bc of the AU main plot I don’t think so, also bc at this point traffic light trio are all friends with each other.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Speaking of birthdays, I assume Pigsy and Tang celebrate when MK showed up in their life or a random day when MK first asked about his birthday. Would Wukong and Macaque ask Nuwa the day he was put in the rock/broken out of it (I assume he came out and was immediately brought to Pigsy the same day but idk) or is that sort of a sore subject still, with the whole harbinger thing?

I think the best thing would be to celebrate it the day they found it!

@yuk1yun ha chiesto: Giuro che è un mese che provo a rendere il mio cosplay di mk simile alla tua au (perché anche se è semplice è stupendo), ma non so come fare le orecchie... Sono di nuovo qui per dirti quanto adoro la rua au btw :)

ADUYDJYTDY SE HAI BISOGNO DI RIFERIMENTI FAMMI SAPERE! E MANDAMI IL RISULTATO QUANDO HAI FINITO!!!!

Anonimo ha chiesto: I'm just waiting until Mk realizes the other things Wukong and Macaque did, yk like what Sun did to Redson, what Mac did to some of the monkeys all that

I think with time MK will slowly learn everything, but for example I guess now Red Son and Wukong are at truce

Anonimo ha chiesto: I'm just obsessed with your shadowpeach comics!!✨✨ But heey~ how about bai he!? l think it will be super amazing if add her in the future to this little cute monkeys family

awww baby!! I hope she went back to her family honestly! But I also hope sometimes she visits MK!

@yainmy ha chiesto: Oh gods I when I found this bio parents au I got HOOKED. I love it so much and the shenanigans and the angst are just *chef's kiss*. I have some curious questions if you don't mind me asking, but if a similar situation happens in the future like when mk got baby-fied, but instead his forms get split up (human and monkey demon) would he have that child crisis of fear "if im not this certain way they wont want me as theirs anymore", considering he is still learning about the whole monkey business? Also in a shenanigans sort of question, I don't remember how stone monkeys are made in their world but it would be hilarious if mk asked wukong and macaque that since they both are male and they technically "had" him then does that mean they can give him a sibling if they wanted? Sorry if it's to long of an ask 😅

i think MK would mostly feel a sense of loss for the fact that in a way, things should have been like this, like when he “hatched” Wukong probably would have found him if it wasn’t for the fact someone or something brought it to Pigsy shop. He would have grown up with someone who could tell him how to be a stone Monkey and teach him his power. Surely, I think Wukong wouldn’t have been as good as a parent as Pigsy, and MK doesn’t regret a bit how things actually ended up happening, but it’s a bit of a case of “sometimes I imagine how my life would have been if it went this way”

Anonimo ha chiesto: I know it's a bit out of the scope of your comic, but I'm wondering if Mei's design is just stylistic additions as if they were always there due to her dragon heritage, or if you have any ideas of scenes that took place as she grew more dragon features?

she started to grow more and more into them after she was accepted by her family sword and started to use her dragon form more and more.

Anonimo ha chiesto: Do you ever think Macaque and Wukong argue over who the little monkeys on the mountain like more? Like Im 100% sure Macaque wouldn't really care but the idea of not being the favorite bothers Wukong

the monkeys go crazy for soft fur Mamacaque. Wukong will always be pissed at this.

@snsp6 ha chiesto: do u like the hc that Mac has naturally snow-white fur? cs when u showed him wo glamours I realized that u don’t rlly color anything so I wanted to ask if it was still black or some type of mix between the two

akjdkajsbkaj I love for that shit YES. Yeah I don’t really colour my comics but yeah he cover it with glamour

Anonimo ha chiesto: I don't think MK ever really acknowledged that Wukong is a person, still a glorified deity. As mentioned MK hasn't really read the actual book and really didn't know his flawed side. MK has seen the worst parts of Macaque and still accepted him.

and now he knows about Wukong worst oarts and still accept him :D

@alistairliddell ha chiesto: What is FFM?

Flower Fruit Mountain

[sanjisboyfie]

one piece smau: dating sanji edition

— modern! au , so fun , slight nsfw bc sanji is funny like that ig LMFAO

— SANJI X MALE READER one of my favorite pairings to ever cross the universe

liked by [name]s.chef, uso_pp, 9k others

lvrboy[name]: oh my god hes so fine someone give me this guys' number

[name]s.chef: BEAUTIFUL BOY MY NUMBER IS XXX-XXX-XXXX PLEASE SAVE MY CONTACT AS PRINCE SANJI I WILL ALWAYS BE AT YOUR BECK AND CALL

-> dni_nami: no fucking way, why did this guy just leak his number TO HIS OWN BOYFRIEND

uso_pp: the day sanji doesn't comment in all caps to his boyfriends posts is the day the apocolypse comes

-> roro.zoro: fr why he always yelling at him....

-> freeluffy: sanji is so aggressive to his own boyfriend, should we help [name]? -> [name]s.chef: YOU MORONS HAVE NEVER BEEN IN LOVE AND IT SHOWS

-> uso_pp: ruhroh he angry

love.pudding: is he single?

-> [name]s.chef: I AM A GAY MAN AND IN LOVE WITH MY FUTURE HUSBAND - I AM NOT INTERESTED IN ANYONE ELSE BUT MY LOVER, I AM A LOYAL MAN TO MY BOYFRIEND. DO NOT INTERACT WITH ME OR HIM IF YOU WISH TO DATE EITHER OF US. WE ARE DEEPLY IN LOVE AND ALWYS WILL BE.

[liked by lvrboy[name]]

liked by freeluffy, dni_nami, boahancock, and 10k others

[name]s.chef: I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND HE MAKES ME SO HAPPY HES THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE AND I WILL ALWAYS LOVE HIM

tagged: lvrboy[name]

dni_nami: never seen you smile that wide before

-> roro.zoro: i wish i never saw it, it's terrifying

-> [name]s.chef: i fucking hate you, dont interact with any of my posts you idiot

-> [lvrboyname]: holy shit whenever you guys breathe do you have to insult each other

-> [name]s.chef: I WON'T ANYMORE MY BABY

SUPERCOLA: do you guys remember when sanji said he hated [name] and rejected the idea of being in love with him.

-> lvrboy[name]: LMFAOAOOA

-> {name]s.chef: that wasnt me, that was my evil twin that was plotting on my downfall.

liked by [name]s.chef, roro.zoro, and 10k others

lvrboy[name]: personal bottle boy <3

tagged: [name]s.chef

[name]s.chef: until the bed breaks. as many rounds as you want, any position you want, anything.

-> dni_nami: sanji please be fucking normal challenge

[liked by roro.zoro and 100 others]

dr.law: is this sanitary???

-> lvrboy[name]: deez nuts in your mouth are about to be sanitary

-> [name]s.chef: TELL HIM BABY TELL HIM !!!

-> dr.law: this shit doesnt even make sense ???

liked by [name]s.chef, lvrboy[name], and 15k others

freeluffy: i can't eat when sanji is making out with [name] across from me. i'm never going out with these two again.

tagged: [name]s.chef and lvrboy[name]

uso_pp: LMFAO i thought it was known to never go out with sanji and [name]? sanji just ends up ignoring you and only paying attention to [name]

-> [name]s.chef: and that's the way it should be. who else should i pay attention to when my beautiful, handsome, erethral boyfriend is right in front of me?

robinkills: i have never heard luffy sound so serious before, what did you two do to him?

-> roro.zoro: probably traumatize him

lvrboy[name]: i'm sorry lu, i'll make it up to you sometime

-> freeluffy: pay for my meals on campus for a week straight :D

-> lvrboy[name]: i'll pay for it for two weeks, i'm really sorry luffy </3

-> [name]s.chef: DONT STEAL MY BOYFRIEND FROM ME YOU FUCKING IDIOT I'LL SKEWER YOU ALIVE

roro.zoro: i think i vomitted in my mouth a little bit, happy for you guys ig.

-> lvrboy[name]: thank you...?

liked by [name]s.chef, dr.law, and 10k others

lvrboy[name]: my bby in crop tops >>>

tagged: [name]s.chef

[name]s.chef: I WILL WEAR WHATEVER YOU WANT BABE WHATEVER MAKES YOU HAPPY, I'LL WEAR. I HAVE EYES FOR NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU!! I LOVE YOU!!!

-> lvrboy[name]: i love you so much muah

SUPERCOLA: sanji and [name] stop making out challenge literally fucking impossible.

[liked by dni_nami, uso_pp, and 90 others]

-> skullnsoul: they're so funny

liked by lvrboy[name], roro.zoro, and 14k others

[name]s.chef: my beautiful boy suprised me by preparing me food with his own recipe today, i think i could cry genuine tears. you guys don't understand how happy i am that i found him and am now able to call him mine. i will love [name] until my last breath. i am so, so lucky.

tagged: lvrboy[name]

uso_pp: okay i guess this was a cute post or whatever.

[liked by dni_nami, robinkills, and 100 others]

lvrboy[name]: sanji i'm gonna cry :< i love u sm too

-> [name]s.chef: pls dont cry my love

ttchopper: my favorite couple, you two are so sweet!

roro.zoro: cant even say anything mean, this is very heartwarming

-> lvrboy[name]: sanji won't tell you this but he giggled and kicked his feet when he read this.

lvrboy[name]'s story

my boyfriend's so fucking sexy-

[name]s.chef replied to your story: CAN I KISS YOU PLEASE COME BACK TO BED SO I CAN KISS YOU PLEASE CAN I KISS YOU CAN I PLEASEEE-

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 某某 / Mou Mou / The On1y One

The On1y One is a 2024 Taiwanese coming-of-age drama about two high school students who fall in love, but more importantly, become friends -- and oh, they're also living in the same house now, because their parents have decided to get married.

Let's get this part out of the way: Yes, they're (almost) stepbrothers. No, that is not a kink thing at all, especially since they meet and start having complicated emotions about one another before they know their parents are together. Look, I had a childhood acquaintance promoted to stepsibling when I was in high school too, and I can tell you that your feelings about someone do not immediately jump to close family status just because your mom likes their dad. This is a show about how becoming a family; it is not a show about fucking your family.

Here are five reasons I think you should absolutely watch this twelve-episode drama -- and they're going to be as spoiler-free as I can make them, largely because...

1. Holy shit, it's ... actually good?

Believe me, no one could be as shocked as I was to find out this was a thing of actual quality. I first found out about this as 'hey, the handsome doctor from House Haunters is in a Taiwanese BL about high-schoolers' -- which of course sold me on it immediately, as I thought Liu Dongqin was the absolute highlight of the beautiful disaster that is Psych-Hunter, but which also, you must admit, sounds more like a novelty than a real thing of objective value.

Thus, I was prepared for trash! More accurately, I was prepared to enjoy trash. I am clearly on record as a trash-enjoyer. I was going to tuck in and gleefully laugh my way through awkward antics just to see that handsome boy kiss another boy.

Which means I was not prepared to be knocked off my feet by how thoughtful, intense, well-acted, and damn beautiful this series is. It's good. It's actually good. It is, like Beyond Evil, a thing you could put in front of Your Average American Television Enjoyer Who Can Handle Subtitles (And Boys Kissing) without having to apologize every five seconds about the jank. It's stunningly lit. It's chunked into episodes that have reasons to be episodes. It's well-written in a way that even comes through the translation.

Here's a clue to its quality: It's directed by Liu Kuang-Hui, known for Your Name Engraved Herein, an explictly gay film released in 2020 that won, like, all the awards -- which it fucking deserved to. (You don't need to have seen Your Name to watch this, but I think if you have, it adds an extra layer of meaning.) This is a BL made by someone who understands how being a teen boy in love with another teen boy is like being expected to walk around with a knife in your stomach while you pretend everything's fine.

But this is not a show about misery! It is a show about building connections, learning to trust, getting over yourself, and finding joy in taking care of other people. Maybe that sounds a little grandiose for a tiny Taiwanese BL, but it's not an exaggeration. When this drama bills itself as a coming-of-age narrative, it means it's going headfirst into the beautiful hell of being seventeen.

Keep those tissues on hand. You'll need them.

2. What if you fell in love with someone you also liked?

This is a true cat4cat relationship -- but different cat personalities! Finally, diverse cat representation!

Jiang Tian is a feral kitty who has spent so long telling everyone he hates them that he has no idea how to convey that he likes someone, and thus spends the first several episodes basically dropping dead birds at Sheng Wang's feet. Don't let his stoic nature fool you -- he's exactly as into this as (and much sooner than) the much more demonstrative Sheng Wang. Episodes end with little scenes you saw earlier, but recontextualized from Jiang Tian's perspective. So don't ever worry that Jiang Tian's being taken advantage of or coerced in any way. The boy has agency, and he uses it.

Meanwhile Sheng Wang is like a pampered little housecat who only eats wet food and sulks about everything -- but he's earned at least some of it, as he's clearly dealing with some major life upheavals. New city! New school! New friends! New house! New stepmom! New stepbrother! New and horrible things his teenage body is doing to him! So it's not surprising that he's clinging to what familiar comforts he has, even if it means being a total bitch about it.

And they become friends. That's the great part. This is a love story, but it's a love story where the love is friend-shaped. If anything, the friendship is the more important (and visible) aspect of the dynamic. It's not saying that one is more righteous or correct than the other -- it's saying that friendship is part of romantic love! Maybe it's even the best part of it! Maybe the only thing better than falling in love is making your crush your best friend and then falling in love with them.

It gets to the point where they spend most of their time not thinking about being in love with one another because they're such good friends. This is just what having a best friend is like, right?

(Jiang Tian knows it is not just what having a best friend is like. Jiang Tian is constantly chewing glass because he's sure friendship is the best he's going to get out of this, and also it's the best friendship he's ever had, and if that's all he gets -- and it will be, he's sure of it -- it'll be enough. It'll have to be.)

My favorite parts of their relationship are when Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian get to just enjoy spending time with one another as complete goobers. They're such teen boys! I mean, they're teen boys from very particular circumstances that have made them have to grow up fast, so it's great when they just get to regress around one another and act their age. The whole scene at the carnival is by itself worth the price of admission.

Look, here's some more shots of them being cute at one another. Don't let Jiang Tian's stoic face in the other pictures fool you. He's capable of making expressions, and it's so good when he does.

See?

3. This, too, is yuri

I mean, shit, you make a gay teacher and I'm already there. You make two gay teachers and I'm going to love you forever. Then you make them both gay teachers and gay owners of a little gay cafe? I don't know if my little trope-loving heart can take it!

Enter Zhao Xi and Lin Tingbei ("Benny").

From the moment you meet these two, it is obvious to you, the viewer, that they are a married couple. Except they're not. They're not married. They're not even a couple. It took me like nine episodes to realize that the reason they're acting so weird is not that they're trying to hide their relationship from other people, but that they're not in a relationship. They are mutually pining for one another and have no idea that the other one is having similar feelings.

Sorry, I have to go feral about these two sapphic-coded gay men for a moment: You two had an incredible meet-cute, went abroad at the same time, came back together, opened a cafe together, call one another "partner," have rainbow motifs on various visible objects in your life, AND YOU STILL ARE UNAWARE THAT YOU'RE BOTH IN LOVE WITH ONE ANOTHER

I can't stress this enough: When you meet them, your first thought is, oh, you two are married. MARRIED. Not just dating, but comfortably wedded. I kept expecting one of them to have a gentle After-School Special moment he tells the children, no, we're life partners as well as business partners. But they didn't! And do you know why? It's because THEY DON'T EVEN SEEM TO KNOW THAT THE OTHER ONE IS ALSO GAY

The only thing that makes sense is that they're both male lesbians. This is some Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! shit right here. How do you unknowingly wind up in what is basically a marriage with man you've never even kissed? I don't know, but they've somehow managed to do it. It's insane. It's incredible.

I don't even feel like I'm spoiling you for anything here! Like, I wish I'd known from the start they weren't actually together, because I was baffled by their side plot for fully three-quarters of the series. Why are they behaving like this? Why are you being weirdly jealous about the hot lady teacher? Oh, it's because YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE HUSBANDS, THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU HUSBANDS

WE GOT DOUBLE MUTUAL PINING HERE, FOLKS, DOUBLE MUTUAL PINING, TWO SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS OF GAY DIPSHITS WHO ARE AS BAD AS YOU CAN BE ABOUT FEELINGS WITHOUT IMMEDIATELY DYING OF IT

Sorry about the caps lock, just ... I'll be over here screaming into a pillow about it, okay? Okay, thanks.

4. Actual Teen Feelings

So nobody in this production is an actual teenager; both leads were just on the underside of thirty when it filmed, and all the other "kids" are at least in their mid-twenties.

And honestly, I like the aged-up casting better, since ... look, I'm over forty, and I just don't find the youths as attractive as I did when I was much closer to that age. Seeing actual 16- and 17-year-olds do this would have given me the ick. So I feel kind of like, this is a teen story told for adults, and the way it does that is by giving you actors that embody how cool you thought your peers looked when you were that age, and not how gangly and awkward everyone actually looked.

I've described the behavior of the teen characters as "rationally irrational" -- like, you know that the decisions they're making are bad, and they kind of know it too, but you also get that they don't have the regulatory mechaisms to compensate for when their hormones tell them it's time to sulk, or or talk back, or lie, or do something reckless. They're stupid teens, but they're not stupid because the writing is stupid. They're stupid because the writing is good and knows exactly how stupid teens are.

And of course this is most visible with our boys, who are complete dipshits in some very rationally irrational ways.

I alluded earlier to the fact that I have stepsiblings, and that I acquired them during my teen years, so yeah, a lot of the complicated stepfamily dynamics hit hard for me. Sheng Wang's mother is dead, and he's being a sulky baby about it because he (kind of correctly!) feels like his dad both is trying to replace her and has started paying attention more to his new partner than to his son. Sure, an adult with more coping mechanisms would be able to handle it without being a dick to everyone around them. But he's not an adult -- but also he's not not an adult? He's in that awful place of adolescence where you feel all grown up, but people still keep making huge life decisions for you. I remember it; it sucks.

Meanwhile Jiang Tian's father is still alive, but that's complicated too and has led to Jiang Tian's being kind of estranged from both his divorced parents. His then becomes a story less about how to get along with your new stepfather, and more how to reconcile with a mother who wasn't always in a place to make the best decisions for you she could, as you are yourself approaching the age she was when she made those decisions.

It's just so many feelings! Just a giant fucked-up Sargasso Sea of feelings! Every nerve is raw and every emotion is like staring straight at the sun! So many characters are completely at the mercy of their worst instincts, to the point where you can't even be mad because, yeah, if I had no ability to tell my most visceral intrusive thoughts to go away, I'd be ruining my own life left and right too.

Also, you are not prepared for the parts with boners. I say no more.

bonus: LUCKY CAT!!!

When was the last time you saw a fat character in a piece of Asian media -- or a piece of any media -- who was just allowed to be fat in peace? Whose fatness was not the constant butt of jokes? Who was not depicted always (comedically) eating? Who wasn't thrown into the mix just so their sexual/romantic interest in some skinny person could be turned into gross-out moments?

Lucky Cat is the best. Her students call her Lucky Cat because she's always cheerful and she does a precious little paw thing. The name is meant to be endearing! They like her, and she's portrayed consistently as a good educator and generally nice person to be around. She's fashionable, too! She has the cutest little outfits!

And she's fat! It's just a thing about her not worth commenting upon! Shit, I wish the show's lack of commentary weren't worth my commenting upon, except, ugh, you know it is. It's even more so worth saying because I've seen her in something else where she was exactly what she isn't here, and it was vile. The contrast is incredible.

Love you, girl, one fat, overcaffeinated educator to another.

5. Delicious(ly timed) pining

I want to talk about the structure of the show for a moment, and I'm going to try and do it as spoiler-free as I can. Even so, this gets into territory that you might be better off going into blind, especially if you like the tension of not knowing where a love story is going. If you're convinced already that you need to watch this show, skip this section -- scroll right down to the picture of a pitcher and glass of lemon water on a kitchen counter.

Go on, now, get.

However, if you're still on the fence about watching it, though (or if you've seen it already and just like reading my thoughts on it!), here's a very slightly spoilery selling point for you:

Normally, BL shows are all about waiting for the moment those boys finally realize what's up and kiss one another. The On1y One makes what I think is a brilliant decision to frontload the kissing. These boys smooch twice all the way up in episode 2 -- but under circumstances that are, respectively, a dare and a faux-casual demonstration that the dare didn't mean anything.

And that's it. They don't kiss again.

I think this is such a good choice because it makes those boys spend the entire rest of the show with three thoughts in their heads: we have already kissed; it didn't mean anything to him; I think it might mean something to me. Their entire friendship is colored by the knowledge that, yeah, that happened. If anything, it makes the BL-style waiting even more glorious, because now it's not about wondering if I kissed him, what would he do? but about wondering if I kissed him again, would it still be a joke to him?

There's also some very good asymmetry in there, in how Jiang Tian is clearly already the world's greatest expert at stuffing his gay desires into a little box and not making them anyone else's problem, while Sheng Wang is having a sexual awakening in real time.

You figure out very near the end why Jiang Tian has a complicated relationship to his own gay longings, and boy, is it a hell of a reason. I know we joke about characters who are both gay and homophobic, and I don't want to call him homophobic, because that's not it. But you definitely get to see why, of all his locked-down feelings, he's locked the gay ones down hardest of all.

Meanwhile Sheng Wang is popular, has friends, has surely been on a number of cute and chaste little dates, has probably even kissed a couple very nice girls -- and has clearly never had a horny thought in his entire life before now. He is both falling in love and figuring out what makes him hard at the same time, and oh boy, that is some rough shit to hit at seventeen. You get to see him recontextualize those kisses several times, slowly putting names to the emotions he didn't know he was having. And when he does finally understand the extent of what he's feeling, he makes a stupid decision about it, because of course he does. He's seventeen. Stupid decisions come with the territory.

Anyway, once they finally get to fucking, Sheng Wang is going to be the lord high king of the bratty bottoms. Just an absolute menace. He's got Jiang Tian's number so hard, and Jiang Tian is going to love suffering through every minute of it.

~

Okay, did you scroll down? Here's a little more spoiler buffer! Hi! How are you doing today? I'm having fun writing this. I hope you'll like watching it. There, that should be enough.

caveat: This is not an ending.

I need to stress how much this is clearly made to be a part one of more, and also how a second season has not been announced and thus is not guaranteed. I am being optimistic based on a) how good it is, b) how much clout the director has, and c) the fact that it's so new, it makes sense that further installments might not be announced yet. But if an unfinished (and possibly never-finished) series bothers you, maybe put this one in your pocket for later.

But oh, this show needs a second season. I am burning incense to the television gods in hope that it gets a second season.

Want to tuck in for some actual good television?

This one is wonderfully easy to find. We watched it on GagaOOLala, but you can also find it on AppleTV, WeTV, Viki, and iQiyi.

Back to the Your Name Engraved Herein connection: The On1y One reads to me in many ways like a celebration of how far Taiwanese culture has come about gay people. Like, things still absolutely aren't perfect in 2012, when this show is set, but at the same time, it's no longer 1987 -- which was the homophobic, hopeless world Liu Kuang-Hui grew up in. If Your Name tells the story of what actually happened, this series tells the story of what the person that all happened to imagines things could be like today. It's so hopeful it makes me choke up a little thinking about it.

Bah, just go watch it. Do it! Go! There's links right up there!

Gay thoughts say peek-a-boo.

[ohno-the-sun]

Spoiler heavy fnaf ruin dlc rant up ahead

I am so fucking proud of steal wool they really took every criticism from the original game and fixed it and even added more

Like Cassie actually acts like a human being?? And like her knowledge of the original characters and cute little comments on every item are so endearing there is so much detail going into this.

The fact that they expanded on one of the fan faves Roxanne and giving her a great arc I’m in love I’m so happy

They honestly gave more depth to all the animatronics too like we finally see Bonnie’s design and get and get a taste as to what happened, also that poster Freddy gifted him I’m crying they are so cute and gay I love them

😭😭😭

Also the whole dark ride section with Monty is so fascinating like is that narrative kind of true or is it just fabricated by fazbear inc to cover up the decommissioning of Bonnie

Why replace Bonnie with Monty?? Why not make a new Bonnie model?? With the prototype label on Freddy it may be confirmed that they make multiple models (well we already kinda knew that with Freddies comments but oh well)

Also Freddy?? Like is that our Freddy or a different one?? They very clearly highlighted the prototype label so they want to emphasize it, but then the head is still missing like in the princess quest ending so what is the truth??

Feel bad for chica fans tho she really was sidelined hard

Aaaaa and my baby boys!!! There’s 3 now aaahaga

I was really not expecting eclipse to be the way they were, very… normal? Is that the right word?? Like obviously a little delusional on when the daycare is gonna open again, but in the right mindset of like this child needs to leave this place is not safe. It is interesting to me that both he and Roxy thought that it was Cassie’s birthday, maybe that was the last day before she left the plex? Or maybe that was the day the plex caught fire? Or maybe most depressingly we are playing on Cassie’s birthday so the animatronics have it in their systems what her birthday is and wish her a happy one (if they are in the right state of mind lol)

Some peeps are upset moon is a little too villainous

I think you can still say it was mainly the virus but I would argue even if it’s not the virus I feel like moon is kinda justified here. Like sun has been shutting him away for a long time before this (if the books are to be believed but also in general) so when he finally gets a chance to roam free of course he’s gonna take it. And idk about u but if my alternate personality was constantly trying to shut me out and I finally got control, I probably too would try and keep my control for as long as possible. Also from what I have seen so far, not even moon is all that aggressive? Like he grabs you at the beginning, but I think that’s just his very ineffective way to get kids to sleep and other than that he just kinda stays away

Poor sunny baby is stuck in the ar world 🥺🥺 I didn’t notice at first but yeah everytime you talk to him it’s only in the ar world. And the end part where you switch them out for eclipse if you do that in the ar world, he says not for me it’s for moon.

I will say though I noticed the voice acting for them changed a little this game, like both have a higher pitch and are more goofy sounding? Like more gremlin energy than evil villainy. I wonder if that was on purpose? Both of them sounded more like the other so maybe that was the reason? Interest interest

Also their mouth moves?? Sort of?? That’s so silly to me they have a whole working mouth system and their face mask doesn’t work with at all 😭

Does give me lore intrigue tho cause like why do their mouths move but not anymore?? Did something happen?? Are they just not maintained enough?? They also move outward instead of up and down (at least from what I saw) so is the mechanism different?

Also the way that sun and moon talk about eachother is so interesting. Like moon says the light hurts “us” and sun says “no the other me” like they seem to almost consider eachother more connected than we first thought, like they’re not just coworkers or strangers they are almost like two sides of the same person. It’s very interesting and I wonder where people will take this.

Overall great job I’m so excited to comb through the game and find every little secret (especially regarding the dca) aaaa

Ok ok update moon does have a jump scare but it’s ridiculously hard to get and I’d still argue he’s not as vicious as he was base game. I mention in another post but eclipse being as kind as he is and being (presumably) a combination of both AIs, gives even more evidence moon is supposed to be kind and caring like his posters suggest but something went wrong. Also Cassie’s comments on their plushes show that there were kids who truly liked the daycare.

[whatswrongwithblue]

All the exorcists slept with Adam. All. And that's why Lute hated Vaggie. She was Adams's favorite when Lute had been at his side longer. So Charlie was Vaggie's' first girl but not first ever? Like maybe she didn't realize she was even gay before she met Charlie.

Charlie and Vaggie's first time and Vaggie very carefully dances around her "dating experience" beforehand.

~time jump~

Charlie wakes up a few nights after the extermination finally realizing the man Vaggie was talking about was Adam and being really pissed she didn't get to kill Adam herself.

-Crack Rodent

I don't normally write this ship but Hamster asked very politely if she could send me Charlie x Vaggie prompts and just for her, since she's just the best, I agreed.

Trigger warnings: mentions if rape, sexual trauma, explicit sapphic sex.

Vaggie felt like she was floating. As if she were weightless, despite the feeling of the mattress beneath her back.

The sheets were the silkiest thing her skin had ever felt. A sweet scent dominated her senses; a perfume that had come to smell like comfort and nostalgia for a home she had never known. Or couldn’t remember.

And the heat; it enveloped her, caressed her lungs as she breathed it in, tickled her skin as it sent a singular bead of sweat between her breasts. It wasn’t the sweltering, stifling, dominating heat of Hell. No, this was heat from within; a burning truth that Vaggie had tried to ignore and turn away from for far too long. The heat of passion, desire, and maybe . . . hopefully, of love.

Charlie’s hair fanned out on the pillow on either side of Vaggie as she kissed her from lips to jawline to neck, going lower and lower and lower until she caught the taught peak of one breast between her lips and gave it a playful suck.

Vaggie clenched her fingers into Charlie’s blonde tresses, delighting in the sensation of someone touching her there with the right combination of tenderness and pressure, rather than groping rough hands and teeth.

Charlie sat up, with knees on either side of Vaggie’s thighs, in nothing but a t shirt and panties. She was a real angel; Vaggie was sure of it. This kind, gentle, compassionate soul; half-angel and half-human, untouched by original sin, was the purest person Vaggie had ever met. Not only was she too good for Hell; Vaggie knew better than anyone Charlie was even too good for Heaven.

And she was so beautiful. Her unnatural porcelain skin, her adorable little canines, and even – no, especially – her black hooves that decorated the ends of her feet. Vaggie was in love with it all.

In Charlie’s own excitement, her eyes had shifted into a darker, redder color than her natural ones and even though Vaggie knew it was her demonic side coming through, there was nothing evil in those glowing orbs. Charlie was just a normal girl, a woman, looking down at her soon to be lover with adoration and anticipation.

And then Charlie pulled her shirt up and over her head, exposing the entire naked expanse of her torso for Vaggie’s eyes to gaze upon and worship and Vaggie saw stars.

Pinpricks of dancing little lights seemed to halo around Charlie as Vaggie lay beneath her and pale purple hands reached up and tentatively cupped handfuls of white, rounded flesh. She was shocked at the full and heavy feeling of them, and marveled at how perfectly taught they were.

Charlie giggled and took one of Vaggie’s hands from her body and lifted it to her face, pressing a kiss to the palm.

“You’re shaking,” Charlie said sweetly, a mix of concern and amusement.

Vaggie then realized it wasn’t literal stars dancing around Charlie that she could see, but the results of her own hyperventilating making her hallucinate them.

“Are you okay? Do you need to stop?” Charlie asked when Vaggie didn’t respond right away.

“No, no, no, please. Oh God, this is embarrassing,” Vaggie said and brought both her hands to cover her face. “I’m like a twelve year old boy looking at my first pair of tits.”

Charlie laughed again and leaned down, her face hovering inches from Vaggie’s once more.

“You’re just excited. I think it’s really sweet,” she said and kissed her.

It was a slow, lingering kiss, that forced Vaggie to slow her breathing down and relax into Charlie’s body.

They were both down to nothing but thin pieces of underwear and Vaggie could feel so much more of Charlie’s body now. The sheets were nothing compared to the softness of Charlie’s skin and as the taller woman began to move above her, rubbing their bodies against each other, Vaggie was suddenly aware of just how wet her own pair of underwear had become.

Charlie moved until she had one of her more slender thighs pressed between Vaggie’s fuller ones and rolled her hips, moving herself against Vaggie right at her aching core and despite her shyness, Vaggie felt her body responding of its own accord. She lifted her hips and rocked them into the touch and it was Charlie that groaned first, in response to Vaggie’s eagerness and the dampness she could feel now between them.

A hand slid down Vaggie’s body, slow and appreciating every swell and valley of her curves, until it stopped just between her navel and the top band of her underwear.

“Can I touch you?” Charlie asked and wordlessly, Vaggie nodded.

At first Charlie touched her over the fabric, applying light pressure and gentle strokes over the dampest spot. After a minute, Vaggie had begun moving her hips in earnest to the touch, making lewd little whining sounds she had never heard herself make, and Charlie grew bolder and in one swift motion, slipped her hand inside the underwear and the skin to skin contact there was pure, unadulterated heaven.

Vaggie leaned her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes as Charlie worked her magic; slipping between her folds, dancing from her center to the sensitive apex, stroking the swollen and aching pathway between each destination. Vaggie was a musical instrument and Charlie its master; her fingers knowing just the right combination of chords to make Vaggie sing for her.

And then she slipped her fingers inside.

It wasn’t as tight of a fit as what Vaggie had experience with. The deep, forceful pressure wasn’t there. In fact, Charlie curled her fingers up in a surprising way, staying relatively shallow rather than trying to completely fill her up, and stroked and pulled on an inner part of Vaggie that had only ever been abused before.

For the first few seconds, it did feel lovely.

But the nervous system remembers what the rest of the brain tries so very hard to forget and that phantom ache came from deep within her. Vaggie tried to focus on the fact that this was her girlfriend, this was Charlie, and she loved her and wanted this but her mind kept flashing back to the before.

To heaven, where everything was white and gold.

To gazing up at the ceiling and the four poster bed painted in gold and covered in transparent white sheets.

To robes, white and gold, hiked up around his hips, exposing himself to her, pressed against her. Inside her.

She should have considered herself lucky.

White, the color of purity.

She was his favorite. His best girl.

Gold, the color of victory.

He wanted her the most. Always told her how well she took him.

White, the color of feeling cold and naked.

Some of the other women were even jealous of her, asked her what she did that made her so good in bed.

Gold, the color of the eyes in his mask as they narrowed whenever he came inside her.

She always told them the same thing.

She did nothing.

She just laid there and let him do whatever he wanted.

­­­____

"Vaggie? Vaggie? Please, I’m sorry.”

Vaggie could hear Charlie’s voice coming from the other side of the bathroom door but wasn’t ready to respond.

Not when she felt more vomit rising in her throat; not when the tears hadn’t stopped flowing yet.

“Vaggie, I’m so sorry. Please just tell me whatever it is I did wrong and I won’t do it again. We don’t have to do anything else tonight. We don’t have to do anything else until you’re ready. Even if . . . even if you’re never ready. Please. Just talk to me. Just let me in. I didn’t mean to hurt you-“

Charlie’s voice cracked and even through the closed door, Vaggie could hear her stifling her own sobs. It just made Vaggie feel worse.

She had ruined everything.

She was ruined.

Used up, damaged goods. And if Charlie found out the truth, how could she ever want to touch her like that again? But Charlie deserved to know; to understand this wasn’t her fault, but Vaggie’s.

Vaggie should have told her sooner. Before she had let Charlie bring her into her bed.

Before she had made Charlie cry.

Standing on shaking legs, Vaggie looked at the door. It wasn’t locked but that was another thing that was so great about Charlie; she respected boundaries and really, genuinely cared. Vaggie knew that door would stay closed indefinitely as long as it was her wish for it to remain so.

So she took several unsteady steps towards it and opened it.

____

“I don’t remember being alive. That part was true. But I do remember things from before the night you found me. I just wasn’t ready for you to know the truth.”

Vaggie was sitting up on the edge of the bed, her own shirt and skirt back in place and a tissue box placed in her lap that Charlie had given to her.

Charlie had just thrown on a bathrobe before bringing her the tissues, and a trash can in case Vaggie got sick again, and was seated next to her, a careful hand resting on her shoulder.

“I still . . . I’m still not ready for you to know everything. I’m sorry Charlie, I just can’t. It’ll make it worse for me.”

“Okay,” Charlie said quietly, nodding in understanding.

“I don’t know if it’s because I don’t remember what I did or who I was when I was alive but when I died, I was assigned. I guess that’s the best way to put it. Given to sounds wrong but I don’t know, maybe it‘s not. I didn’t have a choice either way. Or, if I did, I wasn’t made aware that I had a choice. The people who were in charge of me, they made it all seem so normal. No, that’s not right either. They made it seem like an honor. Like I was blessed to be given the position I was in. And the other women acted like it to. God, we were so brainwashed. So willing to believe all the lies he fed us.”

“He? Who’s ‘he’?” Charlie asked.

“I . . . can’t tell you.”

“Do I know him?”

“Charlie- ”

“Sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just . . . I could do something about this. Maybe. You know, if I knew who he was I could tell my dad and- ”

“No.”

Charlie sighed and rubbed Vaggie’s shoulder.

“Okay,” she repeated and let Vaggie continue.

“There were over a hundred other women. Maybe even two hundred. I’m not sure, I never found out. Never learned all their names or their stories. I thought I had made some friends amongst them but when I tried to go against one simple order . . . well, that was the night you found me. But the worst part was what we did outside of our . . . work. The guy who was in charge of all of us, the one we were assigned to, he slept with us. All of us. He made us believe it was some kind of sacred duty for us to perform, our rightful role as women, but that’s not what it was.”

Charlie’s hand had gone very still on Vaggie’s shoulder.

“It was rape,” Charlie said quietly and Vaggie didn’t answer. “Vaggie . . . I- ”

“Not all the women saw it that way. Hell, I didn’t even see it that was at first. But then I started to. And then I started to question . . . everything.”

Vaggie fell apart then and Charlie held her as she sobbed, crying alongside her. Vaggie lay there in her arms, letting Charlie stroke her hair and kiss the crown of her head, until finally the sobs choked out and the tears dried up, and Vaggie fell asleep.

When she woke in the morning, she was shocked to find herself still in Charlie’s arms and still in her bed.

Charlie hadn’t left her, hadn’t wanted to stop touching her, even after she had learned the truth.

Vaggie lay there, watching her girlfriend sleep, and brushed a bit of bedhead messy blond hair out of her face. For the princess of Hell, Charlie was not a graceful sleeper. Her mouth was open, she was lightly drooling on her pillow, and she was snoring tiny little adorable snores that occasionally ended in a tiny whistle.

And still, she had one arm stretched out and wrapped around Vaggie.

“I love you,” Vaggie whispered and knew she never wanted to sleep in another bed ever again.

____

A couple of nights went by and while they had shared a bed, they hadn’t done anything past cuddling and kissing. But Vaggie really felt like she was ready for more, she was just waiting for the shoe to drop and Charlie to lose her patience with her or find her disgusting. When it became apparent that wasn’t going to happen; if anything Charlie was more doting and kinder to her than ever before, Vaggie decided to verbalize her desire to try again.

“Maybe if I touch you first, it’ll be different enough. I mean, you are different. Very different. I mean, just the fact that it feels good when you touch me is different, I just think I need- ”

“I totally get it,” Charlie interrupted, though with a kind smile.

That was how Vaggie found herself on top the second time they tried and found herself enjoying it far more than she could have ever imagined.

She mirrored what Charlie had done to her the night before; her mouth tasting every bit of flesh on Charlie’s upper half she could find, savoring the flavor and texture of her skin against her tongue and the way her natural scent filled her up. Charlie smelled like flowers after a rain shower and Vaggie breathed her in deeply, licking at her sternum and grinning like a mad woman when Charlie shuddered beneath her.

But when she grew brave enough to touch between her legs, Vaggie did things a little differently than Charlie had.

Vaggie pulled her underwear off her, dragging the fabric down her legs slowly, eyes drinking in the sight of Charlie’s already wet body glistening for her beneath the little patch of neatly groomed curls.

Then she crawled back up Charlie, kissing her softly on the lips at the same moment her fingers found her mound. They moaned together at that initial contact, the hot slick perfection of Charlie against Vaggie’s fingers turning her on more than anything that had happened that night before.

She worked Charlie’s clit with tight circles that made the princess buck her hips up into her hand and get two tight fistfuls of Vaggie’s hair. And when she dipped lower, curling two fingers inside her and using her palm to rub against that now swollen bundle of nerves, cupping her sex and working her inside and out, Charlie threw back her head and cried out in pleasure.

It was by far the sexiest thing Vaggie had ever seen.

“Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Charlie said in between her pants and her moans.

Her eyes had become engulfed in those demonic burning red orbs and even her horns were beginning to sprout out from her hairline and Vaggie pumped her hand faster and faster.

“If I have, I don’t remember. But that’s okay . . .” Vaggie said and leaned down to bite the edge of Charlie’s ear lobe before she whispered, “I’m glad you’re my first.”

“Oh . . . fuck,” Charlie whimpered and then Vaggie watched in fascination as her whole body arched forward, her hips spasming in an irregular pattern up into Vaggie’s touch.

Vaggie had been forced to watch Adam with the other women from time to time and always wondered how many of them faked it for him but there was no denying the reality of Charlie’s orgasm; not with the feral way her spongy walls became suddenly, powerfully tight and fluttered around her fingers and the red blush crept all the way down from her cheeks to the top swell of her chest. No woman had ever looked like that when in bed with Adam and Vaggie felt a positively sinful amount of pride at that thought.

But her rush of confidence went away a few moments later, after Charlie had caught her breath, and they had switched positions.

“I want to try something different tonight,” Charlie said from above her. “Can I go down on you?”

“I guess . . . if you want. You don’t have to, I mean, no one has before, so I don’t know.”

“That’s why I want to try it. Because no one has before,” Charlie said sincerely, but then her eyes lit up with wicked delight. “And also because I really, really want to taste you.”

Vaggie felt her face heat up and knew her usually lavender complexion had to have turned crimson at Charlie’s words but she tried to let her body relax as Charlie removed her underwear and slid herself low between her legs.

At first she felt a bit cold, her upper body exposed to the air of the room without Charlie above her, and even her legs were being mostly untouched. But then Charlie’s tongue ran up her slit in one long fluid motion, with absolutely no hesitation and Vaggie hissed and clutched at the sheets beneath her.

Charlie’s warm and wet tongue lapped at Vaggie’s molten and weeping core, circling it but never pushing farther into her depths. And when she brought her whole mouth to her, sucking her lips around her clit and still stroking that sensitive line of flesh between her folds, Vaggie nearly screamed out at the foreign sensation that was overwhelming her.

Every reservation and fear melted from her then and Vaggie lifted her hips and spread her legs wide, rocking her soaking wet and throbbing sex against Charlie’s face as she gripped hold of those horns and rode her for all she was worth.

They were both moaning, both burning up with desire, and Charlie dug her fingers into Vaggie’s inner thighs, spreading her open even more and leaving little marks against her lover’s flesh there.

Vaggie screamed Charlie’s name when she came, helpless to the way her body folded her nearly in half and Charlie’s tongue worked her through each wave of pleasure, her strokes becoming slower and a lighter until even the most featherlight touches had Vaggie twitching and they were both sure her orgasm was over.

Charlie sat up and at first Vaggie was mortified to see her mouth and entire chin was soaked with the juices of her arousal but then Charlie wiped it away with her hand without a thought and lay back down with Vaggie, giving her a sensual kiss. Vaggie could smell and even taste a bit of herself on Charlie’s lips and was surprised to find it didn’t bother her, as long as it didn’t seem it bothered Charlie.

“You taste amazing,” Charlie said, as if announcing a new and marvelous discovery. “Sweet and tart. Like raspberries and cream.”

“Oh . . . um . . . thank you,” Vaggie said awkwardly and then they both burst into laughter, wrapping up in each other’s arms and giggling until the wave of euphoria had crested and ebbed away.

“Can I do that to you now?” Vaggie asked after their laughter had subsided.

“Fuck yes you can!” Charlie said, and Vaggie smiled. It was never like Charlie to hide her enthusiasm and excitement, so she shouldn’t have been surprised when she turned out to be exactly the same loud, exuberant woman in the bedroom.

____

Years later, at the new Hazbin Hotel

Charlie bolted awake from her nightmare, panting and near tears, taking a moment to gather her wits and realize she was safe and sound in the new hotel.

She looked to her side and sighed a grateful, relieved sigh when she saw Vaggie sleeping soundly next to her, undisturbed by Charlie’s sudden motion.

The night of the battle still haunted her and Charlie knew it would a while longer. She sat forward, wrapping her arms around her knees, thinking of all that had gone wrong.

Dazzle and Sir Pentious, gone forever.

Even the few fallen from Cannibal Town had Charlie’s heart tied into knots whenever she thought of their sacrifice.

Even Alastor, who was clearly suffering his own damages, though she knew he would never talk to her about it.

There were small victories. Cherri and her father joining them permanently at the new hotel were among her favorites.

And there was the kind of lightness in Vaggie these days that Charlie taken immediate notice of. Like a literal weight had been lifted from her girlfriend’s shoulders. She laughed easier, was less jumpy, less quick to defensiveness and anger.

Charlie had thought the battle would leave Vaggie emotionally scarred and more distant than ever when the opposite had happened.

In fact, she had rarely seen Vaggie without a smile on her face since Niffty had stabbed Adam.

Adam.

Suddenly the truth slammed into her and Charlie had to cover her mouth with her hands to stifle the horrified sob that threatened to erupt from her.

Vaggie’s voice from the first time they had tried to have sex rang in her ears as her memories of that night came back to her.

Like I was blessed to be given the position I was in.

He made us believe it was some kind of sacred duty for us to perform, our rightful role as women.

Vaggie had even confided in her months later that he always liked it best when the women just laid there and did nothing, missionary style.

All the signs had been right there, right in front of her.

She had even read about the very same thing, that horrid detail, when she found the writings the humans had made about “Lillith and Adam” in the Garden of Eden. How Lillith wouldn’t “submit” in the natural womanly way and wanted to be on top. How they had made Eve so that she would lie on her back for Adam and allow him to be the man he knew himself to be.

It filled her with rage. For her mom. For Vaggie. For every woman who had been plucked from the Earth and placed in Adam’s path by Heaven itself.

How could Heaven allow such behavior? Not just tolerate it but raise up the man who acted that way on a pedestal of fame and glory.

She hated them.

For the first time in 200 hundred years, Charlie hated.

She shouldn’t have told her dad to stop hitting Adam. She should have choked him out herself. Should have drove an angelic spear through his ugly, spiteful face and watched the light leave his eyes herself.

Charlie felt herself shaking, digging her nails into her palms and biting her lip until both were bleeding.

She’d seen far worse behavior in Hell, sure, but that was to be expected here and she still didn’t allow it in her presence. The pure evil hypocrisy of Heaven finally came into full light for Charlie and that night, she let all pretenses of ever trying to work with Heaven go.

They’d had their chance to right their wrongs.

She’d shown them over and over again that they weren’t so different, and they had laughed in her face and tried to murder her and everyone she loved just because she cared enough to be better when they refused to be.

Well, if they wanted a war against Hell, then that was what she would fucking give them.

[thesoftboiledegg]

"Fear No Mort" was constant whiplash. In fact, I struggled to evaluate this episode at first because it was one twist after another. Throughout the episode, I had flashbacks to "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" (the rap scene might've been a direct reference) and the Rickbot reveal in "Ricktional Mortpoon's Rickmas Mortcation."

For better or worse, season seven's had a lot of callbacks and episodes that mirrored previous ones: "That's Amorte" played out like "Mortynight Run"; "Air Force Wong" brought together Dr. Wong, the president and Unity; "Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie" was a "Get Schwifty" sequel.

Seasons six and seven have also piled on the fanservice. The first four seasons stubbornly refused to give us what we want, dangling fan theories or a gentler Rick in our faces before yanking it away. Rick started to change in season five, but it's another ten episodes before you get Rick in a suit and tie, Rick announcing that Rickcest is canon, Rick regularly going to therapy, Space Beth joining the family and other content that's floated around the fandom since 2017.

And let's not forget the big one: C-137 Rick and Morty, Prime Rick and Evil Morty in one episode, fighting and teaming up after we saw Evil Morty's once-forbidden backstory.

Some call it cheap thrills, but I call it a gift to the fandom that's patiently waited for the fakeouts to end. And now that I've said that: "Fear No Mort" was one giant fakeout.

But was it, though?

This is the most unpopular opinion in the world, but I'm not invested in Rick and Diane's relationship. As a gay woman, I just don't connect with opposite-gender couples. Also, I dislike the trope of the idolized dead wife that the audience only learns about through her widower. She's not her own character, just an extension of the male protagonist.

When the fake Rick and Diane reconnected, I thought "Oh boy, this is getting cheesy." They're falling for each other again: check. Rick feels guilty about her death: check. We see how similar they are: check. Rick doesn't want to leave: aaaand, check.

I'm also a little lost after the ending. Morty was the only one in the hole, so why did we see all these scenes from fake Rick's perspective? Was an NPC really that busy?

How much we learned about Diane is debatable, too, since Morty never met her. I guess his ideas came from whatever Rick's told him and maybe the ship's voice since she's based on Diane.

I did like how the episode kept reminding us that Morty's still in the Fear Hole. I mean, we didn't know that, but we knew that. No "Are they in the Fear Hole or not??" until all the twists in the third act.

Aside from that, I don't want the show to revisit the past too much because Rick needs to let go. If you're a Marvel fan, you saw the backlash to Steve Rogers traveling back in time to spend a lifetime with Peggy in "Endgame." He had a life in the present, but he refused to move on.

Nostalgia makes us yearn for earlier years, but if Rick abandoned his family to live with Diane in another reality, I wouldn't call that a sweet ending. I'd call that a disappointment and a waste of his character.

Turns out, Rick never had that option at all.

Well...in a way, he did. And when Morty told him what he saw in the Fear Hole, Rick ran back to the restroom. He looked into the hole. He thought about it. And then he did what I wanted him to do, which was walk away. In this moment, he chose the present.

Admittedly, Morty's fear came true: Rick didn't jump in the hole after him, he did just sit there and watch, and he didn't want to say that Morty's irreplaceable out loud. Plus, Rick was bewildered when Morty hugged him. But for the first time, instead of standing stiffly or gently pushing him away, Rick started to hug him back.

We also saw what Morty didn't: Rick smiling to himself after hanging up the picture of Morty that he kept in his wallet. He had the chance to wallow in shadows of the past, but he didn't take it. Rick chose him.

"Fear No Mort" could've ended with Rick just saying "Let's go" and leaving, but it didn't. Seasons one and two Rick would've bitched and moaned about Morty taking so long. Season three Rick would've left him there for a while to torment him. Season four Rick would've found a way to take advantage of this.

But seasons five, six, seven? That's real character development. That's what all the Twitter users saying "Wow, Rick and Morty is actually good" have been missing out on.

And for the first time in the series, a season didn't end with Rick relapsing or getting a (well-deserved) ass kicking. Is Morty going to get the grandfather that he deserves? Or will he move on, too, now that Rick's releasing his iron grip? Speculating is fun, but for now, let's focus on today.

[zeephyre]

CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 3 EP 95 SPOILERS

jesus christ these nerds are going to kill me.

before i get into my think piece abt... everything that transpired at the end of this episode, i would like to say this is one of the best c3 episodes.... one of my favourite episodes of all time. idk idk.

essek? smut? astrid? poly bells hells allegations?? i was already fucking sold dawg. i cannot goddamn believe that this four hour episode was... mostly... a shopping episode. i cant wait for the new art, regardless of the batshitery that happened that kinda throws my vibes off. i digress.

oh ashton greymoore i love you so much. i have been so worried abt them but honestly they're probably the lat person im concerned for currently. the grief was so compelling to watch and taliesin is a master of roleplaying as minus charisma but genuinely charismatic in his dorky awkward gruff and fumbling way. his rizz is actually just blindsiding us with earnest acts of service and comfort for his friends and i think thats so neat. im happy that they're all going to aeor with fcg intertwined throughout their outfits. its poetic and also maddeningly sweet.

(love the little callowmoore moments sprinkled through this episode... they're so real to me)

pumat was fun and i am so damn glad they got all the items matt offered cause they were all so fucking cool.

also??? sugar daddy dorian storm??? yeah i see you gay boy. dorym is so real guys we need to prepare for a confession and soon. idk i get the vibe liam is gonna drop it in the most heartbreaking way. or robbie. they're both sick in the head tbh.

loved the little queer inn that essek dragged them to and the calm before the storm was genuinely the cutest shit ever and im glad they were having fun despite everything. we got the essek and ashton dunamancy scene that i have been begging for but i cant even talk abt that right now.

before i address orym and laudna...

delilah briarwood. im gonna fucking kill you. best believe that.

theres been so much discourse on twitter abt who was right or wrong or this or that, but ultimately the point is: neither of them is RIGHT. they're both stricken with trauma and grief, and motivated by the love they have for a) the ones orym has lost and b) the one laudna is fighting not to lose. laudna WAS worried abt orym before delilah twisted that into paranoia, and orym didnt wield that fuckass blade bc he DOESNT feel sick touching it.

he says its not abt revenge but... god. orym. you want revenge. call it whatever you like but you've been angry for a while.

laudna says she KNEW the sword was cursed, but she was lying or in denial abt the fact that delilah is the one who coerced her to hold the blade in her hand.

if either of them had decided to talk to each other or the group as a whole then this could have -- most likely -- been avoided. orym decided to take the blade and shoulder the burden of what it meant and what it represented so they didnt have. laudna felt betrayed and hurt but instead of trusting orym she was manipulated back into that cunt's clutches.

i dont prescribe to trauma olympics, especially when laudna and orym never actually denied each others' trauma with otohan and that blade so i think its slightly irrelevant when discussing them both.

(i will say this... otohans blade is what killed laudna but delilah is the one who had her in a cage when she was dead. otohan murdered oryms family and there was absolutely nothing that could save them. i firmly believe THAT is what chetney meant, not that laudna hasnt suffered so we can all just... unclench a little idk)

in all the discourse, lets not forget who the real villains are -- evil milfs (delilah and otohan). delilah chose this moment to sew distrust in laudna towards orym for a reason. its like the spider queen and opal. she NEEDS laudna isolated and dependent, and she cant sink her teeth in completely if laudna has someone to fall back on.

imodna... jesus imodna breaks me every time. that entire scene on the roof while laudna looks so much like her abuser -- the woman who MURDERED her -- and having that visage fade as laudna proclaims her love for imogen. peak romance and tragedy.

it was still so upsetting hearing the echoes of delilah as laudna spoke tho. knowing her hold on laudna is getting stronger and laudna has no real faith that she will be able to fight against her. hearing her ask imogen if shes still fun scary and knowing that imogen cant tell the truth. this isnt fun anymore. laudna is in danger and imogen doesnt know how to fix it.

"I'll always love you, Laudna. I just don't know what to do with it."

its uh its not looking good for our sapphics fellas.

anyway, i do think that ashton was the emotional mvp of this episode, especially while shit was escalating. putting themself between orym and laudna, PROTECTING laudna despite knowing she attacked him, TRUSTING that she was actually telling the truth and guiding her to see the forest for the trees and apologize for an irrational choice made through a mixture of trauma, delusion and paranoia.

im... excited? for the next episode? not sure why we keep having really horrible inter-party conflict the day before going on a suicide mission but the hells are my problem babies and i have to accept that they're just little fucked up guys.

god. is it thursday yet??

(AND WHERE THE HELL IS SAM)

[wormshirt]

As someone who uses a mobility aid and has muscular tension that cause me general body and joint pain and stiffness from the hips down on both sides what would kill me with doctor who wouldn't be the running it'd be the fucking stairs. They don't always have stairs in doctor who but oh boy when they do. I can run super fast and then inevitably injure my hips and suffer through it and keep limping along through the pain but if it's a flight of stairs between me and safety I'm so dead. If I don't take those stairs 1 step at a time my knees WILL lock or my muscles will throw such a massive hissy fit that it'll take me TWICE the time it takes your average person to go up those stairs and I will be killed or kinapped or put through some strange and unusual scifi horror by step 3. The doctor and I (limping) run down 50000000 hallways and we reach the end of a hall with only a reasonably sized staircase on the other end of it and the doctor immediately starts vaulting up the steps 3 at a time until he turns around and notices that I have stopped completely at the bottom of the steps to stare at him blithely. He starts trying to get me to go up the stairs or ask what the hell I think I'm doing and I slowly lower myself back down to the ground and cross my arms over my chest and begin reciting funeral prayers with a serene smile. The big evil monster comes after me and I am eaten. Badly. The doctor yells NOOOOO really loud and cries a little maybe idk and then is emo about it for like half a season until they end up back by the staircase in a season finale or something and it's revealed that the stairs are magic stairs that preserve the conciousness of any ugly ass bitch who hates staircases enough and the doctor is implied to have know this all along. and the doctor gives me some heartbroken major depressive disorder poster child look and a little speech about how they "couldn't have come back here for blah blah excuses reasons" and I smile sweetly and say "why the fuck didn't you have an emergency exit strategy or some shit incase the guy who uses a fucking cane couldn't do some shit like go up stairs super fast because he uses a fucking cane. Hello. Not even mad. Are you stupid. You are a timelord. Your people let your gay ass fuck off to who knows where because you're the dumbest timelord ever and they couldn't stand your stupid ass. I can't believe I'm stuck on this gay ass space station with this lame ass death for all of eternity because you didn't think that the guy who struggles to go up stairs would struggle to go up stairs. You wanna know what the alien said to me before he ate me. He said hey that dude you're here with sucks so bad and is stupid and gay and lame as hell. And I would have said 'yeah lol' but then he ate me. He ate me because of stairs doctor. Stairs." And then I'd stay forever trapped with my soul in that staircase just so I could spend the rest of enternity sending spam calls and telemarketers to the tardis phone. The doctor's investigating something outside an alien bar somewhere and sees ads like XXX Brittany Wants To Spend a NIGHT With YOU Sexy! Hot Singles in your area! Call here for a night of FUN! HOT SINGLE Xxeksifloryean Milfs Looking For a MATE in GALAXIES NEAR YOU!!!!❤️❤️❤️ and softly puts a hand on the posters and goes "I'm sorry I couldn't save you....." five seconds later jerry from *TOTALLY REAL* intergalactic statefarm NOT A FAKE NOT A SCAM calls up the doctor on the TARDIS phone to ask about the doctor's insurance info. Somewhere I kick an ugly ass step on a stupid fucking staircase and break my ghost toe. I hop around and start swearing.

[derfpossessions]

Rented You Out - Part 1

Ever tried on a suit? Perhaps borrowed someone else's? Or you could've gotten it from a Suit Rental? Well let me tell you about a story of a man, whose body LITERALLY got rented out. So grab your ☕️, grab your 😸, because it's about to get WILD from here, well at least for our main boy.

Meet Denholm Gauthier, the 18-year old boy in 12th Grade, ready to graduate in a few months, but still have no decisions towards what to do in his life. He is a well-loved and kind student at his high school, and as the leader of the Football team and President of the Student Council, oh he's got it all. Plus, he's the class Valedictorian. So why is he such in a lost position? He had always seeked purpose in his life, though no one seemed to give him a damn since he's literally a privileged, handsome white dude. Everyone's got their own shit. To everyone's surprise, Denholm once mentioned that he didn’t want his life AT ALL, to which everyone got outraged about, saying “WHY NOT?!?”. Well, with this story unfolding, I guess I can say he found his purpose.

Chapter 1: Kidnapped

And so we begin. It was psychology class and the classroom was having a heated debate about the human mind and body. It escalated between the nerds too much that a fight could’ve broke out but thanks to Denholm it was de-escalated fast.

“It’s fine Mr Watkins, this topic was a bit controversial if I’m going to be honest with you. But I believe that our human minds are its own unique ways, and one could never be another person.”, he stated as he made the others calm down.

“Well that’s what you thought.” The quiet kid said. His name was Stanley. He’s the kid that sits in so much envy while watching Denholm rise up in the podium of popularity. He was always jealous of him. He wanted to live like him. Heck, he wanted to be him.

“What was that bro?” Denholm politely asked. Stanley didn’t replied, so Denholm’s just shrugged it off and packed his bag.

Lunchtime was up, and Denholm ate with Markus, who’s his childhood and best friend. Denholm long knew then that Markus likes other men, but Markus never really showed him that he wanted Denholm to be more than friends. Though with that said, Denholm is a very liberal person, and of course, a straight ally, which is not what Markus wanted but more than enough to keep them as friends.

“Hey bro! What’s up?” Denholm excitingly said to Markus.

“Nothing much, just tired of life as always.” Markus said.

“Why’s that so? You have friends and family!” Denholm replied.

“Well I don’t want this life. So stressful and so pressured. I wish I could be just as charismatic and attractive and NORMAL as YOUR life!” Markus said with a raising voice.

“Wha… is that what you feel about my life?” Denholm was shocked. Markus raised his voice on him again, which he typically does to cover his feelings of desire towards him. It’s really hard for a gay man like Markus to try and not fall face flat with his feelings towards straight boy hottie Denholm.

“You know my life isn’t easy too. I wish I could live as simpler as any other person.” Denholm sighed.

“Oh I’m sorry..” , Markus said. Denholm hugged him, and so the feelings came in again. Markus’ manhood was rising a little bit high that time, but not too high for Denholm to notice. It was almost like Markus wanted to kiss him on the spot, but he didn’t forgot his dignity and so he didn’t do it.

There was a student council meeting afterschool, so Denholm had to leave the last period early. While walking down the hallway, he saw a black van parallel parking in the lot. It was quite peculiar to see a car parking at that time. He wanted to investigate it but was running late for the meeting, so he ignored it.

The meeting had finally ended. Denholm separated with his classmates because his locker was at the other exit of the school, and now, he’s secured from the hands of evil. “I love you.”, said by Denholm to his girlfriend as he leaves the school through the back exit. As he was leaving, the black van he suspected earlier, was open. He was grabbed by two men wearing balaclavas and shoved him into the backseat.

Denholm tried to talk but his voice was muffled caused by the tape on his mouth. A silhouette of a teenager was seen from the car mirror, but that teenager quickly turned it away to get prevented from being seen. Helpless, Denholm tried everything he can to get unleashed, but it was no use. The two men started injecting something on his back, it wasn’t a syringe, rather a sharp wired material that penetrated his spine, and later his whole body. As he was agonizing in pain, the kid from the front seat was giggling, enticed to see the pain Denholm was going through. They then started to dig down his back even further, almost as if they were cutting it wide open like a zipper. As he can no longer tolerate the pain, Denholm passed out from exhaustion.

Chapter 2: I Am My Bestie

Nightfall came, and Denholm’s parents were very worried. His girlfriend along with his father seeked help from the police, to which they saw the van that took him away. Markus, who thought that the men might have put Denholm captive at school, drove straight there during the night.

To by his surprise, he saw Denholm lying down in the locker room. He screamed, “DENHOLM!!” As he tried waking him up. He tried to lift his body upwards but noticed something strange. His body was a little lightweight.. almost hollow.

As Markus went to see Denholm’s face, his eyes looked… empty. Something wasn’t right. It only took a matter of time until he discovered that Denholm had a huge rip on his back, with a little switch attached to his neck. Markus kept shrugging Denholm to awake him but there was no use. He then examined the rip, and accidentally opened it, which revealed Denholm’s insides with literally nothing in it. Just a hollow mold.

“My friend’s… a bodysuit?!?!?” Markus started to panic. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what he would tell to Denholm’s parents. So he kept trying to wake Denholm up, but he’s no longer there. There was only one choice. If Denholm WAS an empty suit for someone to wear, then someone must wear him for the meantime, and who would that be none other than Markus. “I’m so sorry, I love you.” Markus started to tear up. He then stripped off his clothes. He started to insert his legs and feet into Denholm’s empty body. Markus was a bit larger than Denholm’s so it was a tight fit. the warmness of the insides then slowly binded Markus’ legs onto his. There was no turning back. Next, he put on the torso, and leaned Denholm’s head forward for now. It was almost complete. The last thing to do is to put on the head. As Markus was putting Denholm’s face like a mask, it frightened him too much that he started suffocating. In the outside it looked like an expressionless Denholm but you can hear Markus grasping for air. He eventually fell to the groubd and passed out.

The next time Markus woke up, he was at the floor. His body was glistening with sweat, or should I say, Denholm’s body. He tried to get and up and looked around, then exhaled to see that he can breathe again. His breath smelled like Denholm’s, which shocked him a lot. He paused and saw the mirror, with Denholm reflecting back to him. “De..Denholm??”, Markus said. The voice still sounded like Markus wearing a mask, which was muffled, so Markus adjusted Denholm’s face to fit his even more. And so the face finally locked in. “Denholm??” He said again. This time the voice sounded EXACTLY like Denholm. He started to rub his new wavy hair, and touch his new skin in his face. He also noticed his eyes even changed. Rubbing it through, he no longer has curly hair or dark skin, and his smell noticeably also disappeared, revealing a musky, bold smell from Denholm.

He admired Denholm’s hair, torso, biceps, and stroked his 6.8-inch dick. He then started putting on his clothes, and covered up the switch with a bandage. He looked at the mirror again and said, “Sorry Denholm, baby, but I need to drive you for now.” and kissed goodbye to his reflection in the mirror.

Now that Markus holds Denholm’s life, it was time to tell the news to Denholm’s family. Going home a bit excited, he rushed into Denholm’s house where a worried mother and father rushed in to receive him in open arms. “We missed you so much honey!”, Marta said to her “son” while embracing him. Markus felt a wholesome rather never-before feeling at that moment, as his parents were divorced and was put into care by his evil grandparents. This experience has become a chance for Markus to feel the life he deserved to have: a loving family, popular, charming, spoiled, everything that he ever dreamed of. Besides his sexual desires in the love of his life’s body, it was a chance for him to enjoy a new life of his own.

Chapter 3: Denholm Slayy

Morning came and Markus woke up refreshed, and opened his phone to see that he still has Denholm’s face while looking at the front camera. “Good morning, babe”, Markus started teasing himself. Suddenly something raised from under the blankets. Markus felt aroused by Denholm’s morning look so much that he decided to have a little bit of fun before getting through his day.

He let out a quick moan as he started grabbing onto Denholm’s elastic manhood. And there he unleashed loads and loads of cum which splashed through the whole bedroom. He didn’t even gave a damn into how he’s gonna clean all that mess. Then he admired himself in the mirror then started kissing it. “Oh I wish you were fucking me like this baby. Such a slay”, Markus groaned as he breathed in great intervals. He was having the time of his life.

“Babe??? Babee, I came to pick you up!” that was Paula, Denholm’s girlfriend, picking him up to go to school. Markus got alarmed by this. How was he supposed to clean all that cum on the wall? He quickly got up from the bed and took a dirty shirt from the laundry to wipe off all the stains from the walls and floors. Then he put on a shirt before opening the door. “Babe! What took you so long?? Also why are you not dressed yet we’re already late!” Paula said. “Sorry babe, got a bit hazy from last night that’s all.” Markus replied. “Well if you want to talk about it, we can spend the day together”, said Paula as she seductively touches Denholm’s cheeks. “No it’s alright, besides you have a test today and we must put our studies first right?”, Markus said while feeling anxious. “Ok! I’ll wait for you downstairs while you get ready.” Paula replied.

“Babe babe… Babe my ASS.” Markus side-eyes Paula as she left. “You know Denholm, you don’t deserve this annoying slut!” Markus said while berating Denholm’s reflection in the mirror. “This is why I’m GAY! UGH! If only you were mine… But for now, I am you. I will make the most of it.” Markus said while getting dressed. He put on a new bad boy look for Denholm, compared to the plain shirts that Denholm used to pull off with. Markus did a grin in the mirror as he admired his ideal look for Denholm.

“Oh daddy, you’re really such a fine person. I hope we get to bond more like this again.” Markus sighed. He then headed off to school with Paula.

———

It was now the afternoon. No one has seemed to have noticed that Denholm was being controlled by another person, as Markus has studied every single inch of how Denholm moves and speaks, which counts to the amount of obsession he has towards his homie. But there was one person that wasn’t convinced by the act though. While walking down the street, Paula confronted Denholm/Markus. “Babe, is everything alright? You seem distant.. detached today…”. Markus started to get nervous again, not knowing what details to say to her. “Babe its nothing.. look, I’ll head home now. Maybe I just needed a rest.” He replied.

Markus was finally back at Denholm’s room. It was now late at night. He took off his clothes and decided to lie down. “Maybe I should… do it again..” As Markus tried to stand up, suddenly he felt like he couldn’t breathe, like he was suffocating through latex. He then started gagging until he choked. It was the suit. He tried leaning on to something, but eventually the sweat that accumulated the suit made him trip down and struggle to get up. It felt like he was about to die, something was crushing him from the inside. Desperate, he tried unzipping off from the suit, which worked perfectly well. Markus finally got out of Denholm again, after over a day of using him. Both of them were covered in sweat, with Markus hyperventilating as he stared at Denholm’s lifeless body.

[deyisacherry]

hi i have two (2) questions

are you the person on yt that makes those masm sun x moon comps... bc if so, i have watched those so many times and im losing my mind i love them so much thank u for the content

bwahaha what are ur opinions on the episodes from today n yesterday (11/28 and 29) :3 ... rip any chance for sun and moon to be together legitimately EAHAHGFHA

OH HAIII

AJALDHWKD YEAHHH IT'S MEE KICKS A ROCK,,, OMGG YOU'VE SEEN THOSE AHWLFHEKFHWJJFD thank you so much for watching my silly compilations<'3333, the gays got me a YouTube editor arc fr

AND UHHHGHEJSWJHXKSFJ I HAVE SOSOSOSO MUCH TO SAAAY MANNNNNN YEAH ugbsuwhfjd iii guess we'll never have them siiigh idk what do i expect from this bois (no hate, just used to it)...

with complete honesty i do not support moon using a love potion on sun, HE SHOULD'VE TRIED SOMETHING ELSE, BE BETTER TO HIM, ANYTHING BUT THAAAT but then again my goodness he's so clueless he's so dumb he's SO INNOCENT AHWLFHEKF MY GUY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS NO ONE HAS ACTUALLY GUIDED HIM PROPERLY TO KNOW WHAT TO DO, YEAH "BE NICER" BUT TELL HIM HOOOOW HE'S TOO SILLY

forcing someone to love you with love potions is crazy and not good, THEN AGAIN, MORAL?? SUN DID THE SAME AND NO ONE WAS TRASHING ON HIM FOR IT, THEY THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY HSQLHD??? and also

i

had so many cute little sun x moon moments without moon actually breaking any boundary MORE THAN JUST GIVING HIM A LIL KISSY ON THE CHEEK that i can't truly be grossed out by it

IT WAS ON HIS CHEEK WHEN IT COULD'VE BEEN ON HIS LIPS!!!! AND HE DIDN'T!!!! HE RESPECTS HIM!!!!! WJLSGEKJD

he was GENUINELY BEING SO NICE TO HIM, MY BOY WENT TO MAAAAKE CUPCAKES FOR HIM, NOT EVEN BUY, MAKE, HE MADE 129 CUPCAKES CAUSE DIDN'T KNOW WICH ONE WOULD HE LIKE THE MOOOSTGHJSJHSJSHSH

and and abqndbwnndbebfkf

don't get me wrong i don't HATE or despise Roxanne, i just don't like they're making her this DIRTY, THAT EVIL LAUGH GOT ME DEATH STARING AT MY PHONE AHQKHFKWGH ??? WHY WOULD SHE ACT LIKE THAAAT

on god was it just for the potion i would support her but this

THIS

TAKING SUN ON A DATE RIGHT AFTER HEARING HOW HEARTBROKEN MOON WAS???? THAT'S NOT COOL ROXANNE

they're all so fricking dumb dumb blocky dummies omg

AND DUDE MOON WASN'T EVEN MAD (yet) AT ROXANNE, HE WAS JUST SHOCKED AND SAD AND WALKED AWAYYYYYY, UGHHHHDWJZJS HE LITERALLY PROVED HE WOULD BE A GOOD BOYFRIEND

UGH MOONNNNN IF YOU ONLY HAD AN IDEA OF WHAT TO DO TO MAKE SUN THINK IT THROUGH AGAINNNNN

ughhhanshnebf but i guess by sun's words he will never like moon, i guess, i suppose, i dunno, i'm so saaaaaaaaaaad i just want my gay people, why is that so much to ask foooor THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE LOVEY DOVEY I JUST WANT THEM TO PLAY TOGETHER AND MOON GETTING SUN A LITTLE FLUSTERED AGAINNNN I CAN HAVE THAAAAT

anyway anygay......... i still like my ship

i respectfully don't fw roxanne x sun.......

and i am doomed to like doomed yaoi

THANKS FOR THE QUESTIONSSSS AAA

[lunarriviera]

the huo daofu round-up post i have been threatening for a really long time now

Thinking about this man, I was just admitting to chat "honestly cannot believe how much life energy i have invested in such a minor character" but the truth of the matter is, I was mildly obsessed with Huo Daofu from Reboot alone; his odd unresolved backstory in Sha Hai just cemented my mental formation. Because let's be real, in a world of overly earnest tomb raiders, this man is a goddamn catty delight. The dainty bitterness! The barely concealed eye-rolling! So many impeccable That Bitch vibes. And his unimpressed snark is honestly such a refreshing antidote to Wu Xie's whole everyone-loves-him Marty Sue thing that even when you discover Huo Daofu secretly ALSO loves him, you don't mind, because by that point Dr. Youtiao is a savage queen who can do no wrong.

And He Longlong clearly made this guy up. In the novels he's just sort of a vaguely beardy guy who drives a truck, that's literally all I remember him ever doing. But someone cast this man, and they gave him some rubber bands and pizza coupons and chewed gum of a script to work with, and he promptly decided: I will make him extremely gay. And staggeringly bitchy. AND IT WORKS. He devours every frame he's in, he steals every scene. It's a performance worthy of Alan Rickman and yes I will die upon this hill.

We all know the bitchy-ex-boyfriend scenes in Reboot—"oh my god I literally can't wait for you to perish from lungs" and then Huo Daofu spends like every moment trying to keep Wu Xie alive, sheltering him uselessly from the rain with his hand, rubbing his back when he coughs, looking (when no one's watching but the camera) like he's maybe going to stop breathing himself, when Wu Xie does.

Apparently Huo Daofu's name sounds very silly in Chinese which I think is appropriate for someone who apparently (?) grew up in Germany (?) and went to the University of Heidelberg (?) (honestly don't waste time trying to figure out DMBJ canon, NPSS has thoughtfully ensured that will only be exhausting and futile). Spurious medical qualifications aside, he's super handy in fanfic, too, when you need a sketchy doctor, as all tomb-raiding mob families invariably do.

[someone once pointed out to me that this combination of degree topics basically translates into "how to dispose of bodies"]

I could also hold forth on him and Yang Hao—like, Su Wan alone makes it REAL clear that Huo Daofu's interest in the kid isn't just avuncular or entrepreneurial:

"Are you working for him, or are you working for him?" And Su Wan should be protective, because Yang Hao is honestly kind of an idiot, and probably doesn't realize he's being assiduously groomed not just as a mob boss but as a potential boy toy. (NB by the way that there are 44 fics in the Huo Daofu/Yang Hao tag, and disappointingly, not a single one of them is in English. Western fandom needs Jesus.)

But the thing is, Huo Daofu SAVES his ass in Gutongjing. Everyone forgets that. There's easily half a dozen times where he grabs Yang Hao's shoulder and hauls him back from danger. And Huo Daofu is the one Jiumen member smart enough to get out ahead of disaster, and to take Yang Hao with him. Here he is looking fabulous in a completely unnecessary but dramatic scarf.

And, at the end, he lets Yang Hao go. Because he's secretly decent.

Sure, he has some vaguely sketchy take-over-the-Huos plans, plans that clearly go awry at some point no matter how dramatically and villainously he makes tea. Sure, he exudes a scurrilous sort of evil. But he's COMPELLING and that's all I care about. Look at his pretty little face here, sourly plotting things, in a windowpane-checked suit which should be ridiculous but just winds up looking snazzy as fuck compared to the rest of the Jiumen. This is a man who understands the value of a pocket square. Thank you so much, He Longlong, we didn't deserve you putting your entire snatch into this very minor performance but some of us are extremely grateful.

So here are seven ficrecs, with a podfic and a meta from AO3. Please let me know if I should add anything (Tumblr meta?)—this post WILL be updated, because I have too much time on my hands and care unreasonably about the mean-spirited little bastard.

‡

Remember how this used to be (3569 words) by achray Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huo Daofu/Wu Xie (DMBJ Series) Characters: Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Angst, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Background Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie being a gremlin, Canon-typical references to illness Summary:

“That wasn’t a no,” Wu Xie said, his smile widening. “I thought you still wanted me.”

Notes: How is this both hot and sad? I don't know, that's the magic of fanfiction. This was the first Wu Xie/Huo Daofu fic I ever read and frankly the genre needs more entries, but this is a good one.

‡

the rime dictionary of Wu Xie (7433 words) by scherzanda Chapters: 6/6 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi/Ye Piaopiao, Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling, Ye Piaopiao, Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Xiao Mei, Wu Erbai, Li Jiale (DMBJ Series) Additional Tags: Piaopiao lives, Post-Canon, Canon Flashbacks, canonical illness, fun with the common cold, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Handwaved SI Recovery, Canon-typical Ershu Infodump, Quasi-History-Compliant, Yuletide Treat Summary:

This is why (even now) Wu Xie shouldn’t be let out alone—one trip out to the provinces, and he comes home with a bad cold and an unsolved mystery.

Notes: this is one of my very favorite Huo Daofu writers and here's why—read this little excerpt. The angst. The PAIN. Wu Xie absolutely broke this man's heart at some point and honestly Huo Daofu is really only himself if he's suffering, love that for him:

“Easy,” he said, when Wu Xie couldn’t seem to stop coughing. “Here—” and reached for the rest of the tea, except that it wasn’t on the table any longer.

Zhang Qiling was holding the mug; he had somehow gone around to the other side of the bed, moving in that flowing now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t way that never seemed quite human, to sit down cross-legged on the bed by Wu Xie so that their shoulders touched. Huo Daofu snatched his hand away from Wu Xie’s back as if an electrical current might flow through the double contact.

“Wu Xie,” Zhang Qiling said, and then something else so quiet it was inaudible, holding the tea so Wu Xie could drink.

Looking at the open tenderness on that remote, beautiful face, utterly focused on Wu Xie, made Huo Daofu feel as if his flesh was trying to part ways with his bones. It was a pain his medical texts didn’t have a word for, deeper and more primitive than jealousy or resentment.

Wu Xie, getting his breath back, looked sideways at him with one of those sudden grins. “Sorry, Xiao Huo. You’re still out of luck when it comes to watching me die. Maybe next time.”

Huo Daofu’s voice would not quite leave his throat. Instead, Xiao Mei said crossly “Tianzhen-shu, that’s dumb.” Most of her attention was still on her phone screen. “Why would Dr. Huo want to watch you die.”

Wu Xie looked at him, still smiling.

“It’s a long story,” said Huo Daofu, “and it doesn’t matter now.”

‡

even through hesitation (10407 words) by naiwong_bao Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV), 沙海 | Tomb of the Sea (TV), 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huo Daofu & Huo Xiuxiu, Hei Xia Zi/Huo Xiuxiu/Xie Yuchen Characters: Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Huo Xiuxiu, Yang Hao (DMBJ Series), Hei Xia Zi (DMBJ Series), Xie Yuchen, Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi Additional Tags: Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Character Study, Alternate Universe - Fantasy Series: Part 3 of this is where we live Summary:

He’s a boy so Huo Daofu knows from the beginning that there are no expectations for him, he can do as he likes. So he plays, he cries, he does what children do.

Then his parents die.

No one wants him, no one has time for him, so his family sends him to Germany for school. It’ll be a good opportunity, his family says. He can do whatever he wants, be free of the family business, they’ll take care of him over there. He doesn’t want to go, he doesn't know who they are, but he doesn’t get a say.

So he goes to Germany where the language is strange, the food is strange, the people are strange, and he wants to go home so badly that his teeth ache.

Huo Daofu builds a life for himself, but at the first sign of trouble, years and years and years later, he rents out his apartment to an acquaintance, and flies home.

But.

The language is strange, he doesn’t know the slang, the food is strange, the people are strange.

His family is cold and he still doesn’t get a say. --- Huo Daofu between the end of Tomb of the Sea and when he reappears in Reboot. AKA Huo Daofu learns to care a little.

‡

The Mark of a Man (2279 words) by JhanaMay Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 沙海 | Tomb of the Sea (TV), 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huo Daofu & Yang Hao (DMBJ Series) Characters: Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Yang Hao (DMBJ Series) Additional Tags: Loneliness, Found Family even when it makes you want to scream, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Huo Daofu is a mediocre role model Series: Part 8 of The Art of Conversation, Part 7 of The Art of Conversation Side Stories Summary:

When Huo Daofu inducted Yang Hao into the Huo family business, he wasn't expecting to become the boy's de facto babysitter.

Notes: a poignant little vignette in which Huo Daofu has a heart.

‡

[META] Huo Daofu's Youtiao Stand (739 words) by Thimblerig Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei, 沙海 | Tomb of the Sea (TV), 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huo Daofu & Huo Xiuxiu, Huo Daofu & Wu Xie (DMBJ Series) Characters: Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series) Additional Tags: Meta, Worldbuilding, Huo Daofu's Delicious Fried Snacks Series: Part 2 of DMBJ Meta Summary:

Huo Daofu is a supporting character in Sand Sea. Ambitious, wily, hungry, he’s far from one of the main villains of the story but he’s not nice, either. By the end of Sand Sea Huo Daofu has exploited the chaos caused by the ill-founded expedition to Gutongjing to take over various of the Huo Family operations.

When he appears in Reboot: Sound of Providence, he is a purveyor of delicious fried bread snacks. He’s clearly not hurting for money, so why…?

Notes: this is one of my favorite little HDF explorations, theorizing that Huo Xiuxiu busted him down a rank, and I think that's beautiful.

‡

starting in darkness, like a pure line of light (10167 words) by scherzanda Chapters: 5/5 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huo Daofu/Bai Haotian, Bai Haotian & Wu Xie, Liu Sang & Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Bai Haotian & Liu Sang Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Bai Haotian, Liu Sang (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling Additional Tags: background pingxie, background Iron Triangle, past Wu Xie/Huo Daofu, Post-Canon, hurt/sarcasm, Fade to Black, Dialogue Heavy, meta-adjacent, Self-Indulgent Use of Chinese, Emotional Hurt/Comfort Summary:

Some emotional loose ends are never going to be tied up, but at least they can be recognized and shared. Or, a selection of the worst best only ways to comfort one another in the aftermath.

Notes: absolutely nothing makes me, a Huo Daofu stan, happier than scherzanda's fics featuring him. You would think this is an odd pairing, but it's really not—the two people who love Wu Xie most and are left behind by him? They have so much in common. Also, this fic has a podfic!

[PODFIC] starting in darkness, like a pure line of light, by scherzanda (701 words) by Thimblerig Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV), 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Huo Daofu/Bai Haotian, Bai Haotian & Wu Xie, Liu Sang & Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Bai Haotian & Liu Sang Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Huò Dàofū, Bai Haotian, Liu Sang (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling Additional Tags: background pingxie, background Iron Triangle, past Wu Xie/Huo Daofu, Post-Canon, hurt/sarcasm, Fade to Black, Dialogue Heavy, Meta Adjacent, Self-Indulgent Use of Chinese, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Podfic, podficcer not a native chinese-speaker but is doing her best, Podfic Length: 1-1.5 Hours

‡

do the work, love the work (1616 words) by scherzanda Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling, Liu Sang (DMBJ Series), Bai Haotian, Wu Erbai Additional Tags: Mid-Canon, Missing Scene, Character Study, Post-Canon, Yuletide Treat Summary:

It doesn't always look that way, but Huo Daofu is doing his best.

Notes: once again I just have to excerpt, so you'll GET IT:

The train had nearly reached Hangzhou by the time Wu Xie spoke to him beyond the commonplace. He was still sitting in the corridor, staring dreamily at the growing suburbs, while Zhang Qiling gave Wang Pangzi a hand in the cabin. He looked up as Huo Daofu came back from the hot water dispenser. “Xiao Huo, xinkule. Sorry you never got that chance to watch me die, eh?”

Huo Daofu closed his eyes and looked away from Wu Xie’s smile, unshadowed now with death, brilliant and painful. “I’m sorry too,” he said, eyes still closed, and did not say any of the things he was sorry for.

‡

not only the sugar, but the days (3000 words) by A Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV), 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bai Haotian/Huo Daofu Characters: Huo Daofu (DMBJ Series), Bai Haotian Additional Tags: Mentions of Death, Healing, Getting Together, Youtiao as a Metaphor, Also Actual Youtiao Summary:

His gaze meets Bai Haotian's, who's trying so hard to keep it together, and he knows that Wu Xie will break her heart when he dies, and it won't even be his fault. He never fucking means to.

Notes: another recent entry in the HDF/Bai Haotian post-canon and I love it unreasonably. They both love Wu Xie SO MUCH and it's just taking them OUT. Their subsequent connection is natural and it's funny as hell, the author loves them both and it shows:

"Are you really sure?" Bai Haotian says softly, and Huo Daofu looks up.

"What?"

"About the week."

"At best," he says, then winces. Fuck it. "It'll be three days," he says, loud enough to carry through the bedroom door, "if he keeps pulling these stunts!" There's a muffled noise and some very clear profanity from Pangzi, which Huo Daofu ignores. "See if I care!" he adds, but it's just not the same without Wu Xie there to grin at him, unrepentant.

He can feel Bai Haotian's hand covering his own, just loosely, where it's half curled into a fist against his thigh. He turns his head. The look she gives him is so full of unquestioning kindness, of understanding, he almost has to close his eyes against it.

"I'm sure," he says quietly, not really looking at her. "But he's proven me wrong before."

He can see her nod as she takes that in, and then they just sit there in silence, her hand over his, not moving.

‡

In conclusion, just because I can, from some of my favorite posts:

[ohyka]

[jeong-guwon]

[januaryisnotanartist]

Please also do not fail to check out the magnificent Dr Mal Practice post, as well as "it's not his fucking birthday" and "I'll fucking do it but christ alive." These users truly understand the essence of Huo Daofu.

PS also don't sleep on Huo Daofu and Liu Sang having a fabulous bitch-off in Hua Mei, a Sha Hai side story ft. haunted Wushanju. Another side story, Ran Gu, also has a swooning Kan Jian. Quality entertainment!

[ruthytwoshakes]

Bunch of two fort ladies hell yeah B)

headcannons of inconsistent length below the cut

Zhanna: reeeeeeoow!!! She’s so gorgoryse . gay as hell about all these women tbh. Yeah I just gave her body hair and thicker eyebrows because it’s cool as fuck. And a bear claw scar from when she tried to take home a baby bear when she was little. I think she really likes bears and wants one as a pet. Maybe the bear and soldier’s raccoons would get along aww <33

Admin: yipppeee evil old lady!!!!! . Gave her acne scars , think she would pick her face when she was younger and the scars never faded. shes so pretty heruhghhsg. She smokes these fucked up super long cigarettes idk. I like her wonky nose, maybe she got into a fight or something and broke it.

Scouts Ma: oh man I have so many ideas for her hehehhe. Okay so her name is Jenny, shes Puerto Rican, moved to Boston when she was a young adult, and she’s around the same height as sniper. She’s green because she’s both the scouts mother, and I didn’t want her to be purple like Pauling and Admin I wanted her to be her own person. Her heart locket contains a bunch of pictures of her boys that all cartoonishly fold out to the floor when she opens it up.

She’s bi and poly, and currently dating both the spies because I think it’s funny. I can’t decide if both the spies would also be dating each other or would hate each other, maybe it depends on the time of day. Oh also she used to be an assassin! Maybe that’s why she had to move because she got found out at her old hometown. Anybody who got too rough with her boys were never seen again, only reason the scouts made it out alive lol.

She’s only recently gotten back together with the spies, had a falling out with Red before she knew she was pregnant, but he wanted to reconnect with her after finding out Red scout was his kid. Blu and her were friends for a really long time, she was the surrogate mother to Blu scout, but they fell out of contact when Blu spy had to take scout and disappear due to some espionage work gone wrong. When both the Blus join the team, the red scout recognized them and Blu spy eventually reconnected with Jen through that.

All of her kids are out of the house and she’s retired, so she has a lot of free time. She hosts foreign exchange students and fosters baby animals. She does a lot of traveling and shopping, she also likes knife and axe throwing, while doing some abstract sculpting on the side.

Maggie:

I love Maggie she’s so interesting,, I really like the panels where she’s laughing with saxton on the plane. Oh yeah gave her a mustache cus she’s Australian!, don’t be shy give the pretty lady a mustache she deserves it. That line on her lip was from this one girl I had a crush on back in high school, she said that she was bullied for it. don’t think I’ve ever seen it on another person since. She was one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. I hope she’s doing alright. She was a really good friend, real wonderful person.

Merasmus:

hi Merasmus how r u. oh yeah I’m trying out some other designs for her because I’m working on a little animated series about her and a magic spell she fucks up. I want her to be Sumerian because Sumer is so interesting!! I’ve been learning about the art from it in class, check out the Sumerian virtue status or the Epic of Gilgamesh they’re some of my favorite bits of history we’ve learned so far. Oh yeah also I think when she takes off that weird cap thing she has the longest most beautiful curly hair that goes down to her ankles because I love those kind of visual gags hehe. Also yeah she has piercings idk why I did that. I think she’s kinda blind and she uses her skull to see with her magic or whatever. I love her facial expressions in the comics,, have you guys seen the cunty Merasmus poster i love the cunty Merasmus poster

Miss Pauling:

MISS PAULFIJF LETS FUCMIGN GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! She’s got sideburns because im a dyke bleh blehhhh . hshe look at her big ass glasses I’m in love. Oh yeah I gave her lots of moles! And changed up her sleeve colors. Too tired to write much more lol

[malicious-metal]

Couple quick busts for some of the characters I write for our Chronicle (there's like 50ish of them in total, crippling OC addiction, terminal). Tess Lovrić (She/Her) - Gangrel: Fiercely compassionate murder machine, very protective of her pack and totally exasperated by them always getting themselves into all sorts of trouble. Grumpy but with a sense of humour. Samson Ward (He/Him) - Brujah: Bad Boy Metalhead, philosopher, Noddist, all around charismatic nerd in tight leather pants. Got a whole little dichotomy theme going on with half his body covered in Demonic tattoos and the other in Angelic ones. Heaven and Hell, Living and Dead, Evil and Divine. Yeah huge Milton nut, obviously. Gilead (He/Him(?)) - Tzimisce: Big, evil millenia-old Voivode. Very much a champion of ye olden Ways and the General of the Warhost (AKA the toolbox of heinous Koldunic Sorcery and fucked up Szlachta I can throw at my players). Total Wife-guy and father to a whole legion of Revenant kids. Orestes (They/Them, He/Him) - Tzimisce: One of Gilead's aforementioned spawn, little edgelord trying to coast off dad's impressive track record and desperately trying to make him proud. Imago (It/Its) - Tzimisce: Despite its strange appearance, a very timid and gentle soul, unfortunately cursed with a supernatural affliction that forces it to replace its failing body with fresh human flesh. It tends to assume the face, voice and height of whoever it converses with, trying to make them feel more comfortable (with varying results). Valeska Velika Vesta (She/Her) - Tzimisce: Camarilla Tzimisce (Oh there's so much to unpack here) and probably one of the most villainous PCs I've written recently. Typical Dracula type, which suits her since she's a distant descendant of his lineage. Proud, ambitious, repelled by crosses and garlic, a landlord AND petty nobility so you know she's evil for real. Escanor (He/Him) - Gargoyle: Mean-girl, aspiring Harpy and spite-embraced. Yes, he was supposed to be a Toreador and he won't shut up about it. Self-obsessed, overly dramatic and writing call-out posts on his fellow Kindred. Also a sculptor, cause of course he is. Also gay, cause duh. Deacon McLain (He/Him) - Nosferatu: Clan Whip, big-bro-friend to all the younger Nosferatu, Warrens Handyman. Former Rust Belt mechanic so he's got a bit of a bone to pick with Ventrue types too. Devon Quinlan (He/Him) - Nosferatu: Goth Metal rockstar performing under a masked pseudonym, pretty much a 90's goth antihero vigilante type on the side. Zora Bratovitch (She/Her) - Revenant: 130 year old, crusty hag of a Revenant. Absolutely LOATHES those fucking leeches and keeps reminding them just how much she hates them. Runs a traveling carnival where she performs with her Bratovitch-bred trio of white lions.

[bwabys-scenarios]

Fixer Upper

Part 32

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

!!REBLOGS APPRECIATED!!

pt 31

pt 33

A/N: sorry this took so long. There will be a 32.5 chapter next to celebrate Kurapika’s birthday.

warning: death, misogyny

taglist: @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @sweetstraberrybear @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc @itszenava @fiightforlovee @mimi-sanisanidiot @wow-im-gay @whorermoviestar @lightshowerrr @mama-m1na @nenggie @wicked-binch @jamayah @themanicwriter01

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As (Name) got ready to fight, the sound of whimpering and scraping filled the small enclosed space, making her wince. Before she could say anything, something started to crawl into the little guy from the middle of the tunnel.

“Oh my god.”

A centaur-like chimera ant led two human beings on leashes, forcing them to walk on their hands and knees. “Keep it down, you two.”

The ant pulled on their leashes, causing the poor men to choke. “Who are you guys? How dare you intrude on my turf?”

“Help… please help us!” one of the unfortunate men called out, tears running down his face. (Name) began to walk forward, but her arm was caught by Kite. He gave her a stern yet sympathetic look before letting her go. She bit her lip, staying in her spot.

“Stop talking Spot! You’re just a dog!”

(Name)’s eyes went wide with shock as the ant stomped on the man’s head, killing him instantly. Could she have saved him if she acted? “Oops, didn’t mean to do that. Oh well, I’m getting bored with these guys. Guess I’ll get rid of Rover, too.”

The surviving man panicked, trying his best to act like a pathetic, begging dog. It was a desperate attempt at survival, one that was in vain. “When you beg like that, I just want to kill you more.”

“STOP IT!”

Kite caught Gon’s arm this time as the boy lunged, causing him to look back. “Don’t move carelessly. There’s more than one enemy. They want you to rush over.”

Two more ants walked out of the separate caves, cackling as the centaur ended the other man’s life. Gon and (Name) looked away, which caused them to be scolded by Kite.

“Don’t look away! If they shoot a projectile your way, you won’t be able to see it.”

The two nodded slowly, and (Name) lightly brushed her hand against Gon’s, an attempt at comfort. It was her way of saying they were in this together, and that she understood. It wasn’t much, but his heartbeat did calm down slightly, and he couldn’t help but spare her a thankful glance.

“I’ve got it. You three will be my new dogs.”

(Name) tilted her head as the centaur ant the pointed to her. “And you? You will be my mate.”

The entire room went quiet, (Name) blinking rapidly, looking back at forth at the ant, Kite, Killua, and Gon. “Did… did I hear that correctly?”

Killua and Gon stood there in shock, looking both disgusted and angry at the same time. Kite looked as calm and collected as always, but he seemed slightly tense in his shoulders, as if he were holding himself back. “Chimera ants have always been aggressive, but it seems consuming malicious humans has made them even more evil.”

“H-huh? What do you mean?” Gon asked, still recovering from the chimera ant’s words. He hated that (Name) had been signaled out and disrespected. It only fueled his anger and resentment towards the creatures.

“Phagogenesis.” Killua answered.

“If we don’t deal with them here, many more will die!” Kite exclaimed. In response to his words, their auras spiked as they got ready to battle.

“Capture them!” the centaur ant ordered the other ants with a point of his finger, causing them to launch forward.

“I’ll take the one in the back. You boys will have to deal with the two rushing us. (Name) you’ll provide support, be ready to use your ability when needed.”

(Name) sighed in relief, then paused for a second to turn and look at Kite. She wanted to fight too, but she wouldn’t disobey him. There was most likely a very good reason he was making her stay back, either for her own well being, or for the boys’.

“Right!”

“Got it!

“Do not hesitate. You must fight to kill.”

As the two ran to fight the ants, Kite and (Name) stayed behind, staring down the centaur ant in front of them. It looked at her hungrily, licking its lips and chuckling under its breath. (Name) tried not to forget Kite’s words and kept a good eye on the beast, even when it grinned and purred lowly, biting its lip as it looked her up and down.

She was just glad the boys were there to see the way it looked at her, it grossed her out and was plainly disrespectful. Kite didn’t say anything, but stayed within an inch of her, his hip nearly touching hers. It was reassuring, a way for him to say he would protect her if needed.

“A lesson for you, (Name).” Kite said softly, his eyes trained on the ant. “A cocky opponent will let down their guard in front of someone they perceive as weak. Sometimes using your own weakness to your advantage is a good way to win a fight against someone that may be stronger than you.”

The ant watched as (Name) and Kite talked quietly, the two never looking away from it as they whispered back in forth. The creature sighed, cracking its neck in boredom.

“Hey. We should get started soon.”

Kite waves his hand dismissively. “Wait a little longer.”

“Screw that! You don’t have a choice in the matter,” it licked its lip, glancing between the two. “Now entertain me.”

“Very well.”

As Kite’s aura rose, (Name) darted to the left. The ant paid her no mind, focusing on the threat in front of him. She used this opportunity to go over to Killua, who had been injured during his fight.

(Name) approached him, crouching down to his level. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, the poison can’t-“

“Poison!?”

Killua groaned as she fussed over him, lifting up the back of his shirt. “Killua, does it not hurt? I’ll heal it, don’t worry.”

She placed her hand over the wound, closing her eyes in concentration. “It’ll feel better soon.”

He softened ever so slightly. (Name) was probably the only person that ever truly worried over him, that considered him a child. Gon cared about him sure, but he knew what Killua could and couldn’t take and didn’t worry.

But she worried regardless. When he was hurt, she wanted to make it better. As the wound stitched itself back together, he reached out and held her free hand. “Thanks, (Name).”

She smiled in reply, handing him a granola bar once it was healed. “Here, when I heal a wound it uses your stamina. Your stamina specifically is pretty high, but eating a snack will make sure you stay energetic.”

He took it, unwrapping the bar before taking a big bite. “Mmph… weird, I didn’t think I was that hungry…”

After devouring the bar, Killua joined the others, (Name) following behind him. “Oh it’s him!”

“The thing that shot us!”

Kite, having already defeated his enemy, had his nen activated. “I got a slot machine in my mouth! It goes from 1 to 9. Each number summons a different weapon. This is my Crazy Shot! Don’t forget the name!”

“Just go away…” Kite said, the weapon disappearing.

(Name) healed Gon’s wounds as the others talked, giving him a granola bar as well.

———————

As they made their way out of the cave, Kite continued to speak. (Name) didn’t pay much attention, too busy sorting through her backpack and trying to calm her nerves.

“Let’s hurry, the nest is close.”

That caught her attention.

The forest was dark, all of the animals had gone silent. It felt tense, especially when Gon looked to be on high alert. Usually, when Gon was tense, that meant something was about to happen. After all, his instincts were incredibly sharp.

Killua looked on guard as well, glancing between the gaps in the canopy. He stood close to (Name) as Kite sighed. “We’re surrounded.”

(Name) froze, the only part of her body that moved was her eyes. She searches the tree line for any movement, but it was too dark for her eyes to see.

“Their numbers are great.”

The bushes next to them exploded, along with things falling from the sky. They all landed in front of the four. “Now, then… let’s decide order and methodology. As for our targets, you have three choices. One..”

(Name) reached for Killua’s hand, trying to comfort herself more than him.

“Decide the order in which you will fight. Two, attempt to escape. Three, give up and let us capture you. If you choose option one, you will fight one-on-one battles with us for a chance to survive. I don’t recommend the second option. You’ll anger us, resulting in a brutal capture and prolonged suffering for all of you. Option three is out of the question. That would anger us even more than option two. So, what will you do?”

She felt like she was being leered at again. Each creature stared at her, licking their lips and making strange sounds.

Gon frowned. He was still feeling angry from the disrespect (Name) faced earlier, and from all of the death and pain those creatures had caused. “Kite.”

“We couldn’t have asked for a better deal. One-on-one fights with their Captains. We’ll start with whoever is prepared to fight.”

Killua stepped forward, in front of (Name). “I’ll go.”

“No I will!” Gon said, and the two immediately faced each other to play rock paper scissors. Gon was the Victor.

“Okay, I’m going first!”

————————

After Killua and Gon's fight, Kite pushed name to the front. "She'll be going next."

Killa froze, his hand shooting out to grab her arm.

"Wait, I can go again. She doesn't need to-"

"She's going, that's final."

His words left no room to argue. Killua let go of (Name) hesitantly, a slight shake in his hand for a split second before he was able to hide it.

... Killua, I'll be okay. I've been training too, remember?"

She handed him her backpack, taking a deep breath.

"Watch that for me, okay?"

The other chimera ants chittered and laughed as her opponent stepped forward. The creature was tall, looking like a large, muscular moth with brown wings. It stared down are her, it’s shadow covering her completely. “This is who I get to fight? She’s the size of a baby bear. I could crush her with one hand.”

“Did… did you just compare me to a bear?”

The ant attempted to reach its massive hand out to crush her head, but she dodged to the side. “H-hey, we haven’t started fighting y-“

The ant kneed her in the stomach, sending her flying in the opposite direction. “(Name)!”

Killua began to run forward to go and help her, but was pulled back by the collar of his shirt. “Don’t. You’ll only provoke the rest of them and make (Name) lose focus.”

The boy growled, planting his feet on the ground. He watched as she slowly got back up as the massive chimera ant approached her. “Done already? And after those two children showed you up. How pathetic.”

She wiped the blood from her mouth silently, her aura spiking. “Huh, it really does take just a single touch.”

The ant blinked in confusion as its comrades watched on in horror. The leg it used to kick her was withering away, the pain only now catching up to it. “W-what did you do to me!?”

It tried to rush her, but fell as the effect spread, causing him to fall as his legs became nothing but ash. She easily stepped out of its range. “I’m just speeding up what would have happened to you anyways. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust as they say.”

With that, her fight was over. As she joined the others, Gon and Killua stared on in awe and a bit of fear. “(Name), that was-“

“Scary.” Killua finished Gon’s sentence.

She smiled tiredly, sitting down. “Yeah, it’s something Kite suggested I try. Took a lot out of me and I had to get pretty close to my enemy to use it, but I think I can train myself to eventually have more control over it. Maybe I can even eventually use it from a distance someday!”

Kite walked forward, summoning his weapon as the others chatted.

“That’s enough�� it’s my turn!”

The frog like ant stepped forward as Crazy Slots rolled a 2. “Two, huh? Damn, bad spin.”

A scythe appeared in his hands, the blade so long it nearly wrapped around him.

“Killua, (Name)…”

“That scythe is nasty.”

“Gon, Killua, (Name). In three seconds, jump up.”

And they did, all three of them leaping into the air and barely missing the attack that wiped out the entire group of chimera ants.

“Be cautious as we advance. As I mentioned, that won’t be enough to kill them immediately. Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“It’s only getting worse from here. If you start to sympathize with the enemy, you won’t be able to handle what’s coming.”

“Im fine. I have no sympathy for bugs that call each other trash.”

Kite, Gon, (Nams), and Killga headed towards the Chimera Ant Queen’s castle to prevent the king’s birth.

————————

They continued their journey, (Name) struggling a little to keep up after using her ability. She absentmindedly munched on a granola bar, Killua staying back a little to keep an eye on her.

They all stopped when Kite did, waiting for him to speak. “We’re being followed.”

They quickly turned around. “Not from there.”

He looked up, frowning. “There’s quite a number of them.”

Several Chimera ants flew in the air, one more humanoid than the rest. The four now raced through the trees, Killua seemingly angry at how clueless he had been.

“They’re coming from the left and the right. Keep up your guard.” Kite informed them just as a dragonfly like chimera ant flew towards them. The sound of its wings buzzing was so loud that it made (Name)’s ears hurt.

She attempted to seat one away, but they were way too fast. When she tried to get close to use her ability. They hid behind trees. “Crap!”

“The trees are getting in the way!” Gon exclaimed, getting frustrated over the same thing.

“Yeah.”

“Shouldn’t we get out of the forest?” Gon asked, his brow furrowing as another chimera ant weaves through the trees.

“This is a trap.”

———————

(Name) yawned, rubbing her eyes as Kite easily dispatched the chimera ants. They left the woods, the chimera ant that planned to attack them backing off once he sensed he was outclassed by Kite.

“He was able to understand that he was outclassed, and he calmly backed down at once. Most likely, he was a squadron leader.”

They watched as the chimera ants backed away. “We’re following them. Their nest must be nearby. If we follow them, we will find the Queen.”

The three ran through the night as the moon shown over them. Kite used his En to track the chimera ants, nodding. “They’re continuing to go straight. The Chimera Ant nest must be up ahead.”

“Amazing… he’s been picking them up the entire time, never losing them for an instant.” Killua said, hanging back with Gon and (Name).

“Kite said he could use En within a radius of forty-five meters.”

“I’ve heard that those called Nen masters can handle around fifty meters. Kite is nearly there. Actually, given that he’s kept it up for an entire night, he’s probably stronger.”

“Stronger than… a master… the Kite’s the real deal.”

“Yeah, he’s the first real pro Hunter we’ve met.”

(Name) smiled, listening in to their conversation. As they continued to speak, she couldn’t help but feel lucky to have Kite as her teacher. She held onto her backpack straps, watching as Kite continued to walk at a steady pace.

He was… quite handsome, the more she thought about it. Not only that, but he was intelligent and kind. He was kind enough to teach her on an important mission, even though she was noticeably weaker than Gon and Killua, who he already considered a liability if they couldn’t take care of themselves.

The fact he even offered them a chance to leave showed he cared. An uncaring man wouldn’t care if a few kids and a girl died due to their own weakness, but he obviously was not that type of man.

This revelation made her cheeks heat up. Did she… no, there was no way she had some sort of crush on him. She liked Kurapika!

But…

‘He obviously… doesn’t like me…’ her heart twisted in her chest. The memory of his words made her want to curl up into a ball and die.

“This is a pretty brutal place for training, though.”

(Name) began listening back into their conversation to distract herself. Kite responded to Killua’s words. “That’s why I keep asking if your resolve is firm. As you mentioned, Ging had certain expectations when he sent you to me. But I do not intend to train you during this journey. We don’t have that kind of time.”

Soft moonlight trickled through the trees as they continued on. To (Name), it felt like that night was lasting forever.

“I brought you te along because I thought you might be of use, and (Name) because I have a duty to fulfill. From here, it comes down to your resolve. If it’s strong, you’ll develop nen and grow strong via combat. If it’s weak, the ants will eat you.”

The three nodded slowly.

“But we can’t die. We are pro Hunters. Those who call themselves Hunters always get their prey. For Hunters, that is the first commandment. A hunt involves both Hunter and prey. It is a battle of resolve. Emerging victorious from a battle of resolve is what makes a successful hunt. The loser has to follow the winner’s rules and customs. Usually, this means the loser’s death.”

“Rules…”

(Name) paused by a small waterfall, for a moment she had an idea, hearing Gon repeat the word… but it was gone with the wind as soon as Kite continued to speak.

“If you don’t want that result, then win. Improving your nen is important, of course. But to be a successful Hunter, you must understand the enemy and yourself.”

(Name) went quiet again, the sounds of their voices fading away. During this time spent with Kite, Gon, and Killua, she had seen so much death and destruction. Even though it had been said so many times before, her very human mind couldn’t seem to comprehend the possibility of her own death.

Sure, she had thoughts of suicide and even made a few attempts, but she couldn’t quite get the concept of her life being in danger. How many times had she nearly died during the Hunter Exam alone? It was all a bit fuzzy… especially in the beginning when she was still so lost in the dark.

Kurapika had been that light that made the fog clear away. But now… it was as if he was the very fog itself, making the way in front of her unseeable. His words and actions had plunged her back into the abyss she had tried so hard to climb out of.

And part of her resented him for it.

She shook that thought from her head, her heart pouding in her chest. No, no she could never hate or resent him. Kurapika was the person she loved with her entire heart… she didn’t want to feel this way.

So, for the first time, she pushed down those feelings she had for him, attempting to cover them up with her feelings of love and affection. It felt suffocating, almost like her throat was swelling up, but it felt a hell of a lot better than trying to accept that she was human and felt anger for her she had been treated.

She didn’t want to hate him.

By the time she had recovered, Kite sat down on a small, flat boulder. “Ah. That’s right… I just remembered.”

He took out a Hunter’s license, holding it out to Gon. “A Hunter license?”

“This is Ging’s.”

“Huh? Ging’s?”

As they spoke, (Name) and Killua hung back a little. Killua, ever perceptive reached out to grab her sleeve. “You alright?”

She thought for a second before nodding. “Yeah, just… a bit tired, is all.”

After they finished talking, (Name) and Killua rejoined the pair. “Kite…”

He looked up as she spoke, noticing the slight heat in her cheeks. “Thank you… for bringing me. Even though…”

She paused for a moment. “Even though I’m not strong like the others. I-“

“(Name).”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Do you truly think I would have taken you with me if I didn’t believe you could handle yourself? You’ve already proven yourself, so why do you still doubt your own strength?”

Her eyes were wide with surprise. Kite… thought she was strong? “I…”

Before she could say anything else, Kite stood up and walked towards the cliff’s edge, sweat bearing down his face. His eyes darkened as he looked over the landscape. “That’s a monster…”

He crouched down, muttering to himself. “What is this? I don’t believe it!”

“What’s wrong, Kite?” Gon asked as the three approached him.

“Gon, Killua, (Name). Run!”

“Huh?”

“Hurry up! Get out of here!”

(Name) stood there, taking a single step back and reaching to grab the boys.

“Get away from me!”

It all happened so fast. As Kite moved to block the way, (Name) yanked Gon and Killua back with all of her strength. Because she was so focused, she didn’t notice what happened to Kite until it was too late.

The sound of something falling onto the ground made her look up. Her eyes widened in terror, anger beginning to well up in her chest.

Kite’s arm was lying on the ground, blood gushing from the wound. Killua and Gon were in shock, trembling in both fear and anger as the Chimera Ant before them regarded the three with malicious so intense it made the air freeze inside their lungs.

It was a cat like creature, with a human looking face. The creature was no taller than (Name), but gave off the aura of a natural born killer.

Seeing Kite’s missing arm, both Gon and (Name) began to tremble in anger. As Gon charged up, (Name) got ready to heal him at a moments notice, the grass around her wilting.

Killua slammed his hand in Gon’s neck, knocking him out cold. But he was too late to do the same to (Name).

Unfortunately, she had caught the ant’s attention.

The second the ant laid eyes on (Name), it tensed up, it’s hair fluffy up as if it were a cat encountering a predator.

‘That woman… her power… it’s a danger to the future king!’

Killua picked up Gon, ready to grab (Name)’s hand, but was stopped when the Chimera Ant took a step towards her. (Name)’s aura instantly died down, the terror or being that beast’s main focus making her body freeze on the spot.

“Go! Now!”

Kite summoned his watching, catching the attention of the ant again. As soon as it wasn’t looking at (Name), Killua grabbed her hand and began to run.

There was no way for her to keep up with him, so she was dragged along, flying through the air. “Kite!”

She watched, tears rolling down her cheeks as Kite turned to face the monstrous being. He said nothing, but held a thumbs up, before getting into a fighting position.

——————

As the night continued on, rain began to fall over the three. After getting a good distance away, Killua slowed down enough so (Name) wasn’t being dragged behind him like a rag doll.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, jogging next to him. Soon, the ground would become to slick to run on, so they moved as quickly as they could.

Even after getting several miles away, she could still feel the effects of that… thing’s aura. It made her skin crawl, every sound making her flinch. She half expected something to jump out at them from the shadows, bearing its teeth and ready to devour them.

They had all been too overconfident. The three of them were still weaker than Kite who’d lost an arm. That thing knew… but…

(Name) turned to see Killua glancing at her. ‘Why did that thing react to (Name) that way?’

Sure, Killua knew that her power was frightening, but it wasn’t nearly as strong or developed as Gon or Killua’s. What made her the one in need of eliminating? Why did she of all people catch that thing’s attention?

As the sun rose, (Name) stumbled along behind Killua, her legs shaky with exhaustion. She had never ran that much in her life, the Hunter Exam was a piece of cake compared to the previous night.

It didn’t take long for their guides to notice them as they walked across the desert again. It was all (Name) could do to not pass out as they helped her up into the horse. She held Gon in her lap, Killua riding on the other horse.

“…”

The ride back to where they began was quiet, the two occasionally exchanging a worried glance. Was Kite okay?

Had they just left him to die?

The two carried Gon, setting him down at the base of the tree once they finally arrived at the embassy. (Name) plopped down onto the ground, rubbing her swollen legs.

She silently took a granola bar out of her bag and handed it to Killua, who ate it without a word.

She laid her shirt out in the sun, putting on her cardigan to keep warm as they recovered from the long night they had experienced.

Killua took out his phone and called Kite’s friends, (Name) keeping Gon’s head in her lap. She gently brushed his wet hair out of his face, trying to stay strong for the boys.

They confirmed they were headed their way with reinforcements, so the two just waited together.

(Name) reached out and held Killua’s hand, squeezing it lightly as the truck carrying Kite’s friends and backup rolled up. He felt like a coward for leaving Kite behind, a weakling, but (Name) understood what they were up against.

Three men stepped out of the car, approaching the two. Netero was at the front of the pack, while the other two followed behind. The man to his left was tall, with a muscular body and gray hair and tan skin. The man on Netero’s right was tall and thin, wearing a business suit and glasses.

“That’s Chairman Netero…” Killua whispered, (Name) nodding slowly.

“What’s this? It’s just a bunch of kids. If you’re here to play, you’ll get burned. Go back home,” the muscular man said, grinning. He was carrying something big and heavy over his back that made him lean forward slightly, a testimony to his strength.

(Name) and Killua frowned. They both knew that they weren’t any ordinary kids, and (Name) was an adult!

“Stop it, Morel. That isn’t nice… they’re only children,” the man in a suit spoke. (Name) squeezed Killua’s hand, her eyes trained on the two.

Netero let out a little laugh, looking down at Killua. “You look pretty defeated. Was the enemy that strong?”

He said this with no malice. Netero knew that the three in front of him were no amateurs. The enemy they had faced was strong, so strong that even Kite lost an arm to it.

“One of them could use nen. That was the worst aura I’ve ever encountered. You guys are unbelievably strong, but I still can’t see you defeating that thing…” Killua said softly, looking down.

“Whenever humans encounter the unknown, they tend to lose perspective. Currently you’re experiencing a state of panic. We’ll take it from here, so go lie in bed.” the man in a suit said, looking down at the three as if they were toddlers that needed a nap.

(Name)’s eyebrow twitched, and her grip on Killua’s hand tightened.

“Haha, you’re no better than I am, Knov,” Morel, the muscular man said. “Kid… the minute you start talking about who can win in a nen fight, you’re wrong. In most cases, you won’t know your opponents abilities. One instant of carelessness is all it takes to turn the tables and cost a life. You can’t make assumptions based on the amount of aura displayed. The battle can turn at any point. That’s what fighting with nen means. But, regardless… you must always fight certain of victory! That is a nen user’s spirit. The moment you were overwhelmed by the opponent’s aura and fled, you were disqualified. You’re lower than a loser!”

With his last words, (Name) stood up. “The hell did you just say?”

She stepped forward, her nen spiking. “I’ve had just about enough of your high and mighty talk. If you had been out there in front of that thing, I bet at least one of you would have cried like a little bitch.”

Killua watched this, his eyes going wide. “(Name), stop it, they’re-“

She held up her hand. “And another thing, does it make you feel big and tough to pick on someone smaller than you? Do you feel like a real man when calling a child a loser after making a really hard decision that saved all of our lives? Why I should-“

She raised her fist, but Netero caught it. “That’s enough, (Name).”

Morel looked down at her as if taking her presence in for the first time. He snorted, reaching out his large hand to ruffle her hair. “Looks like this one has some spunk. Kite’s message was right, this girl has potential.”

Netero nodded, examining her aura. “Kite said that you’ve figured out your nen type?”

She nodded slowly, still trying to fix her hair after it was ruffled. “… yes.”

He nodded, looking to Killua. “Is Gon asleep?”

Killua stayed silent for a minute, only relaxing when he saw (Name) wasn’t in any immediate danger. “He was going to attack the enemy, so I used force to stop him. I didn’t have time to control my strength, so I don’t know when he’ll wake up.”

Morel laughed. “That kid shows some promise then.”

“Morel!”

“It’s difficult to believe that giant chimera ants are eating humans, but since it appears to be true, we must keep casualties to a minimum. If we send fighters who aren’t strong enough, they’ll only strengthen the enemy. Do you understand?”

“Yeah…”

Netero began to walk away, but turned the last second. “We sent two assassins to the nearest village. It’s your decision whether you want to fight. But you must defeat them before you come. If you wish to live as a Hunter… we are not desperate for help. We only seek the strong. That being said…”

He paused for just a moment. “(Name)… you will be coming back, guaranteed, if that’s what you wish.”

She blinked, pointing to herself. “Me..? You want… you want me to come back? Why-“

“There is no time to explain. If you wish to come, then use the time to train and refine your ability. Once the victors between Killua and Gon and the assassins are decided, you will come back with them.”

He threw two playing pieces, Killua catching them immediately.

Killua squeezed her hand, preventing her from accepting or declining.

She thought about Netero’s words on the way to the village. All she could think about was how did her abilities even compare to anyone present, and why weren’t Killua and Gon the ones picked?

(Name) took her turn carrying Gon on her back as walked into town.

She raised an eyebrow as Killua looked over a note left on a blackboard.

To: Gon and Killua

‘Will you fight?’

——————

(Name) and Killua sat at Gon’s side as he rested in bed. It was late in the afternoon, the sun filtering in through the window harsh on the two.

The entire way there, Killua had been completely silent. She didn’t blame him for that, the professional Hunters’ words had been harsh, but had a bit of truth to him. There was only so much comfort she could give him without making it seem like it was out of pity. That was the last thing he needed right now, to be coddled as if he was just a child.

She wasn’t surprised when Gon began to stir, raising his hand to block the light from his eyes.

“Killua… thank.”

Killua looked down, his eyes darkening. “Why would you thank me?”

“Weren’t you the one who stopped me? Had I lost control back there, I would’ve gotten in Kite’s way. Then, all four of us could have died.”

“But I… let Kite die…”

“Kite is alive! He wouldn’t ever let that thing beat him! But considering his injury, he’d have a hard time moving around. So he’s probably hiding. Waiting for us to return! So we should hurry back… once we’ve become stronger! To save Kite!”

(Name) watched the two, her gaze softening. Before her eyes, she was watching Killua’s heart open up, watching him fall in love.

“Let’s go. To become stronger!”

(Name) grinned, grabbing both of their hands and leading them to the bathroom. “But first, you two both need a bath and a change of clothes, pronto!”

She walked through town with them after they both bathed and had a meal.

“What are those?”

“Tokens. You take a piece of marked wood and split it, giving each half to a different person. They work as proof that you’re an ally, or to authenticate a document.”

(Name) stopped, ordering them all some ice cream at a stall before walking back and handing it all out. The three continued their journey, now with a special treat.

“In this case, each of the two assassins holds one matching token. We defeat them and take the tokens.”

They went back to the blackboard to see it had been erased. As (Name) licked her ice cream, the feeling of being watched made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

“You must be Killua, Gon, and (Name).”

She jumped, turning to see a frightening looking woman behind them. Her hair was long and unkept, her eyes big and staring.

“Nice to meet you… my name is Palm. It’s a pleasure.”

It certainly didn’t seem like a pleasure, a black aura hung around her and her voice sounded far from happy.

“Boys, stranger danger.”

(Name) stood in front of them, hiding the two behind her back.

“Oh my… no need to be so tense. I imagine the chairman probably didn’t provide many details. Allow me to explain. Why don’t we have some tea?”

She began to walk away, and (Name) looked at the two. “Holy… boys, I think we just had a first hand encounter with an otherworldly spirit.”

“That’s not very nice (Name).”

“Gon, I’m with (Name). That was terrifying.”

The three reluctantly followed the women, (Name) and Killua grimacing every time she turned back to stare at them.

———————

“I am a student of Mr. Knov. He said I would only get in his way. But I insisted on accompanying him.”

“Who’s that?” Gon asked as the woman before them stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea.

“She probably means one of the guys with Chairman Netero.”

“Yes, the one wearing a black suit. My teacher is an incredible person. Cool, intelligent, composed… ah, composed and cool mean the same thing!”

(Name) grimaced as the sugar began to pile in Palm’s cup, peeking over the edge as she poured more and more in. “Ah dear… oh, but I only respect him, that’s all. There’s nothing romantic about my feelings… at least I may wish that were the case.”

She continued to ramble, (Name) glancing at the boys. Killua met her gaze, shaking his head.

‘She’s nuts.’

After she finished speaking, Palm drank the tea, making the three wince. “No one can say what will happen… after all love is a spontaneous thing, don’t you agree?”

“Uh, can I interrupt you? Aren’t we supposed to fight you?” Killua asked.

“Huh? Oh dear… yes, I apologize. The chairman and my teacher said I couldn’t accompany them any farther. But I insisted on going with them. It feels like I spent a lifetime just trying to convince them of my determination. And finally they relented, with one condition.”

“Uh, I’m asking about…”

“My teacher may appear to be a cold person, but he’s actually quite gentle. But you have to spend a lot of time with him to realize that. Ah, by “spending time with him,” I don’t mean-“

“Okay, we get it! What’s the condition?!”

(Name) jumped when Killua snapped, finally having enough of the woman’s ramblings. She nearly had a heart attack when the woman went silent, glaring at them.

“Knuckle and Shoot’s defeat. To think those vulgar, barbaric unmannered brats will be allowed inside NGL before me… I cannot allow that!”

Palm’s aura rose, causing her drink to overflow, spilling onto (Name) and Gon. “Miss Palm, turn off your hatsu!”

———————

(Name) huffed, using the bathroom sink to wet a napkin before dabbing at the stain on her dress. It was one she just bought that day, and she could tell it would be a tough stain to get out later.

‘Damn crazy lady… I need to get back to Gon and Killua before-‘

(Name) nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang. She nearly dropped it as she pulled it out of her pocket, her hands still wet while she struggled to unlock it.

“H-hello?”

The line was silent for a moment, and (Name) glanced at the number.

It wasn’t one she recognized.

“This is (Name) (Last Name), correct?”

But she recognized the voice all too well.

“C-Chrollo!?”

Her blood ran cold, the stain on her dress suddenly irrelevant. “Good, it seems you remember me. That makes this much easier.”

The line went quiet again, except for the sound of rustling paper. “I request a favor from you, (Name).”

“A… favor?”

Her jaw dropped in disbelief, her phone nearly falling with it, but she caught it just in time.

“Yes, a favor. What’s the saying… you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours? I need you to do something for me, and in exchange I will give you information that would be useful to you.”

She gritted her teeth, her grip on her phone increasing. “You’re a murderer, you killed the Kurta clan without any mercy, why would I ever-“

“Because I have information on the scarlet eyes.”

She paused, taking several seconds to process that information. Not a word was uttered as he continued.

“Your little boyfriend wants the eyes back, no? Then why don’t we form a little… truce?”

“Truce?”

She could hear him chuckle on the other end. “Yes, after you do this favor for me, perhaps we can form somewhat of an alliance… but with one condition. I will not use any means to get to the chain user through you, but you will not give the chain user any information on us that could lead to him finding our location or harming us.”

He worded himself carefully, keeping his voice neutral. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he probably had some loophole in mind, but the information he might have was too precious to pass up.

“… tell what the favor is. I’ll decide if I’ll do it after.”

She could almost hear the smug smirk he wore in his voice. “A member of the Phantom Troupe was injured in a job, and no one else is close enough to their location to help.”

(Name) frowned. “And you want me to help them?”

“Yes, that would be what I called you for. You have healing abilities, do you not?”

“How did y-“

He cut her off with a chuckle before she could even finish her sentence. “I have my ways. That’s not important though, what is of higher importance is whether you’ll do this favor or not.”

On one hand, if she didn’t accept this favor, a member of the phantom troupe would potentially die, lightening Kurapika’s load. On the other hand, the information Chrollo had was priceless, considering he was the one that sold all of the scarlet eyes in the first place.

“… alright, I’ll do this favor for you. But don’t get it twisted, this isn’t an alliance. It’s give and take, nothing more and nothing less.”

“And that’s fine.” Chrollo said, letting out a sigh. “I’ll send over the information via text message within the next 5 minutes.”

And with that, he ended the call. (Name) stared down at her phone, her heart heavy. ‘I wonder if I’ll… regret this one day.’

She dropped the napkin she had been using to wipe her dress into the trash, her hands shaking slightly when she opened the door.

As soon as she got back to the table, Killua noticed her strange behavior. His eyes darted from her shaky hands to the scowl on her face. “You alright?”

“Yeah… just saw a spider in the bathroom.”

Neither Killua or Gon felt comfortable with (Name) splitting off from them, but she was adult and they couldn’t really stop her.

“It’s alright, I’m just going some shopping. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

She tried to put them at ease, but Killua wasn’t easily fooled. He watched her leave, his stomach hurting. Killua didn’t quite understand why he felt so uneasy watching her go, but he knew that she wasn’t just going shopping.

“She’ll be okay, Killua.”

The white haired boy glanced back to Gon, who was smiling brightly. “She’s strong, we both saw what she could do in NGL.”

“Yeah, but…”

As her silhouette disappeared within the crowd of people, Killua couldn’t help but worry.

“She was never this nervous in NGL.”

———————

The directions Chrollo sent were concise and easy to follow, so much so that it was almost eerie. He correctly assumed there would be heavier foot traffic in some areas, and estimated the time she would get there with that in mind.

The location was a small, dingy motel on the outskirts of town. The lobby smelled like mothballs and piss, and the walls were stained a nasty yellow from years of guests smoking inside. ‘Gross…’

“Can I help you?”

The woman at the front desk spoke lazily, blowing out a puff of cigarette smoke between sentences.

“Um, yes. I’m here to visit the person in room 204.”

The woman waved her hand, pointing down the hall. Without another word, (Name) began following where she pointed.

The air felt thick, and it wasn’t just the cigarette smoke. Someone’s nen was making the air heavy with rage and frustration. ‘Must be the phantom troupe member…’

She knocked on room 204’s door, flinching when someone yelled out. “Hurry up!”

And yet again, she recognized that voice, groaning internally. When she opened the door, she saw the interrogator of the Phantom Troupe sitting on the edge of the messy bed, shirtless. He looked beyond irritated, tapping his foot and grumbling under his breath.

“Uh… Chrollo sent me to-“

“Already know. Get over with.”

She stood still for just a moment, but moved quickly went he sent her a glare. “Can I see the-“

He showed her his back, and she couldn’t help wincing at the sight. Large gashes, deep enough for her to be amazed she wasn’t seeing bone stretched out across his back.

“Stupid bitch… hit me when back turned, coward…” Feitan grumbled, shaking in anger. He didn’t wince in the slightest as she placed her palms over the wound, only growling out in warning.

“This is pretty bad… I’m not sure how much I can heal you with my current abilities.”

Feitan glanced back at her, a scowl on his face. “Just do it. Take too long.”

(Name) huffed, concentrating her aura into her hands and closing her eyes so she could focus on envisioning his flesh knitting back together, of the skin turning pink with scar tissue instead of being a deep red. Within a few minutes, sweat was pouring down her forehead as she finished, panting softly.

His back was still scarred and sensitive to the touch, but she had sped up the healing process to the point it looked like he had received the scars months ago.

Feitan stood up and looked in the mirror, nodding slowly. “Chrollo call you later. Leave.”

With that, he walked to the bathroom turning to watch her go. She took the hint, not wanting to anger a member of the Phantom Troupe.

As she walked down the street, she saw a man walking down the street, shouting into a megaphone and wearing sighs. His black pompadour caught her eyes…

“My name is Knuckle Bine! I am a beast hunter! I challenge the two punitive force candidates to a duel! Come tonight at midnight sharp, and face me! I won’t try to run or hide. I won’t bring any weapons or allies. It’ll just be me and me alone. So come and fight me!”

(Name) sighed, continuing down the street. ‘That’s Knuckle, one of the people Killua and Gon have to defeat. He hasn’t mentioned where they’re supposed to meet, though…’

“A man never turns his back on an enemy! I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, you won’t get away!”

She stayed neutral, trying not to react to his words. If she gave any sort of reaction, it might clue him in to the fact that she was in fact allied with Gon and Killua, which could be bad for her.

As (Name) made her way back to their hotel, a few shopping bags in hand to make sure Gon and Killua weren’t suspicious of her, she felt… strangely tired. Healing Feitan had taken a lot out of her, and she didn’t know if she would be able to hide that exhaustion from the others.

Opening the door to their room, (Name) nearly jumped when she spotted Bisky training the boys in the middle of the room.

“B-Bisky?”

The woman turned quickly, her hands on her hips. “Finally, you’re back. You’ll be joining their training as well. Start with Ren.”

She blinked for a moment, yelping when the blonde whacked her on the head. “I said start with Ren!”

“Y-yes ma’am!”

After she went into ren, Bisky nodded. “Maintain that for three hours.”

The three looked shocked. “Killua…” Gon whispered, frowning. “How long can you last?”

“I’m too condition, I can manage around 55 minutes max.”

(Name)’s jaw dropped. ‘55 minutes? I don’t think I can even last 15…’

“Until you complete this, we can’t move on to the next step. Train like your lives are on the line!”

(Name) passed out after maintaining nen for a whopping 30 minutes after being forced to do it over and over.

‘She’s far behind the other two…’ Bisky thought, watching as the other two laid in a crumpled pile with her. ‘Yet Netero wants her to be the only guaranteed member that gets to go back to NGL… I’ll have to observe her further to see what that old man has planned.’

“Okay, you can rest for today! Tomorrow behind in 30 minutes. Looks like it’s time for me to use my power.”

She summoned Cookie-chan, who gave the three relief with a gentle massage as they slept.

——————

(Name) woke up to her cheek being pinched lightly. “Hey, girl. Go get us some drinks, you still need time to recover. Even with cookie-chan, there was still some severe exhaustion that even she couldn’t fix.”

Bisky gave her a look, as if inspecting her. (Name) stood quickly, avoiding the glances from Gon and Killua. “Okay, I’ll go. I should be back soon.”

The second (Name) was out the door, Bisky turned to the other two. “So, what do you two think of her?”

Killua grunted, struggling to maintain Ren. “Do we have to answer r-right now?”

Bisky raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

Gon went first, a determined look on his face. “(Name) is our good friend. She’s kind, and her nen ability is a testament to that.”

Killua smiled, looking at the ground. “Yeah… she uses it mostly for healing, but while we were fighting the chimera ants, she completely destroyed it with her nen.”

Bisky raised an eyebrow. “How exactly? What’s her ability?”

“Time, I think. Specifically the ability to speed up the growth rate of cells.”

Bisky paused, her eyes going wide. At this stage in her nen journey, (Name) shouldn’t have been able to completely destroy a foe with her nen. If she was this strong now, there was no telling how her ability would develop given time and training.

‘Netero… what do you have planned?’

(Name) walked down the street back towards the hotel. She had a bag of drinks in one arm, and some takeout in the other. Bisky had them training the entire night, not giving her the chance to get some dinner. ‘I’m so hungry, but that training made me so nauseous…’

She sat on a park bench, sleepily munching on her food. Maybe she could get a few minutes of sleep before she had to head back…

Before she could lay down and catch a few minutes of sleep, she heard a man call out to her. (Name) groaned internally, her eyelids heavy as she sat up.

“Hey, you!”

The man stomped over, and it was way too late for (Name) to do anything by the time she recognized him. It was the man from earlier, Knuckle.

“Ya think it’s safe to be sleeping on a random bench in the middle of the night!?”

She blinked, staring up at the man as he glowered down at her. “Um…”

“There’s a pervert on the loose, don’t you read the damn newspaper!? Tsk…”

He had took one of his hands out of his pockets. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

(Name) stared at his hand for a moment, biting back a smile. “How can I be sure you’re not the pervert?”

His face erupted into a red blush, and he began stuttering. “W-would never! It’s not manly to force yourself on a woman!”

She laughed, taking his hand. “I’m just kidding. You seem harmless enough.”

Knuckles was still pretty flustered, leading her away by the hand. “W-which way?”

“Just to the next block, I can walk by myself from there.”

He didn’t answer, probably still recovering. Once they reached her stop, he stood firm, crossing his arms over his chest. “Go on, I’ll make sure no one follows ya.”

She smiled, giving him a wave before she began her walk back to the hotel.

‘Gon and Killua will like him, he’s a nice guy.’

After she was out of his view, her smile dropped as her phone buzzed. She had a feeling she knew who it was, but looked at the contact just to be sure.

Chrollo: Here’s the information, as promised.

(Name) swallowed, looking over the pictures and walls of text. Once it was all saved she forwarded it to Leorio. Kurapika had blocked her, so she knew he wouldn’t answer her.

After she sent the text, Leorio called her instantly. It was late where (Name) was, but mid afternoon for Leorio. “(Name), where the hell did you get this information..?”

“… do you really want to know..?”

Leorio sighed. “Yes, of course. It couldn’t have been easy to get.”

“Yeah,” she said, rubbing her temple. “Working with the Phantom Troupe is a real headache.”

The line went silent as she continued walking.

“The WHAT!?”

—————————

Kurapika sipped on some coffee, reading the text Leorio had just sent him. There was information in at least two pairs of scarlet eyes, containing the buyers name and last known location.

‘How he got this info, I have no idea.’ Kurapika thought, setting down his drink. ‘But it’s too good to pass up.’

He stretched, glancing at the clock. Kurapika’s shift to guard Neon started in only 15 minutes, something that made him groan tiredly. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before, his nightmares making a restful night impossible.

But unlike usual, it wasn’t images of his dead clan and their missing eyes that haunted his nightmares.

No, it was the image of (Name), her face unrecognizable after being smashed in. He didn’t know how his mind knew it was her, but he did.

“Why weren’t you here, Pika? Why didn’t you protect me?”

That’s the only thing she said, repeating as the bloody gore that was her face shifted and melted away, leaving only her crushed skull in its wake. Empty sockets stared back at him, the dark holes swallowing him up…

And that’s when he shot awake. As he stared up at the clock, now only 5 minutes remaining before he had to start his shift, he tried to push away the awful memory of his dream.

She was safe because of his absence. He… he hadn’t put her in danger, and she didn’t need his protection. That’s what he kept telling himself as he smoothed out his suit jacket and combed out his messy hair.

‘I… hope she’s okay.’

With one last look at the cardigan he had woken up with weeks ago, Kurapika left his hotel room, ready to start his day.